Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

The truth is that the member opposite does not want to have an answer from us on premiums, where private health insurers are the ones who make applications at the end of the year for the premiums that they are seeking. It is not the job of government to predict what that will be. It does not matter how loud the member for Dickson yells; the truth is that there is of course very commercially sensitive information—not that we are withholding it—that the private insurers themselves do not provide to government until the application round begins. I will say something else: I notice how readily the member opposite wants to quote the private health insurers. I think that the private health insurers’ views on premiums will be about as objective as the member for Bradfield’s view would be on the member for Wentworth. This is a ridiculous position.

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