Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2011. It is a rather Orwellian name, for it is certainly not fairer and it certainly has nothing to do with incentives. If there was one single reason that this bill should be opposed it is the issue of credibility and trust. Even the learned member for Lyne has recently and openly stated that our current Prime Minister, and therefore our government, has a credibility problem.

Let us just have a look at what this Prime Minister and members of this government have said in the past on the issue of private health insurance. Exhibit No. 1 is a press release from Julia Gillard, shadow minister for health, transcript of doorstop interview, state parliament Melbourne, 22 August 2004:

Reporter: Can the Labor Party make a commitment to do with private insurance if they were to be elected?

Ms Gillard: Labor has committed to keeping the 30% private health insurance rebate.

I seek leave to table the Prime Minister's broken promise on keeping the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate contained in the press release dated 22 August 2004.

Leave not granted.

Exhibit No. 2 is the transcript of an interview on the Sunday program on 29 August 2004 between Laurie Oakes and the then shadow health minister and current Prime Minister:

Laurie Oakes: What about the 30 per cent health insurance subsidy?

Julia Gillard: We've said that we will keep the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate. That is out there now in the community. It's a payment that's been factored into family budgets, into people who are working and struggling with the bills and the mortgage and the payments for the kids, and also into the family budgets of older Australians who have private health insurance.

It went on:

We will leave the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate undisturbed because we understand it's factored into family incomes.

I seek leave to table the Prime Minister's broken promise of 29 August 2004 in the interview with Laurie Oakes on the Sunday program.

Leave not granted.

Exhibit No. 3 is a transcript of an interview between Tony Jones and Julia Gillard on ABC's Lateline on 12 September 2006. It says:

Tony Jones: … Are you going to look again at the private health care rebate. Is that sacrosanct?

Julia Gillard: No, the private health insurance rebate will be staying under Labor. We committed to that at the last election. Indeed, we committed to it at the election before. From time to time the Howard Government runs out with a scare campaign here but the private health insurance rebate will stay.

I seek leave to table the Prime Minister's broken promise on keeping the 30 per cent health insurance rebate contained in the transcript of the interview between Tony Jones and Julia Gillard on ABC's Lateline.

Leave not granted.

Exhibit No. 4 is a media statement dated 26 September 2007 entitled 'Liberal scare campaign on private health insurance rebates—Federal Labor to retain rebates'. It says:

Federal Labor rejects the Liberal scare campaign around the Private Health Insurance rebates.

… … …

On many occasions for many months, Federal Labor has made it crystal clear that we are committed to retaining all of the existing Private Health Insurance rebates, including the 30 per cent general rebate and the 35 and 40 per cent rebates for older Australians.

… … …

The Liberals continue to try to scare people into thinking Labor will take away the rebates.

This is absolutely untrue.

I seek leave to table the Labor government's broken promises on keeping the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate contained in a media release dated 26 September 2007.

Leave not granted.

Exhibit No. 5 is a letter from the then federal Labor leader, the member for Griffith, to Dr Michael Armitage, CEO of the Health Insurance Association. It reads:

Dear Dr Armitage,

Thank you for your letter of 29 October 2007 seeking clarification on Federal Labor’s policy regarding private health insurance.

Both my Shadow Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon, and I have made clear on many occasions this year that Federal Labor is committed to retaining the existing private health insurance rebates, including the 30 per cent general rebate and the 35 and 40 per rebates for older Australians.

…   …   …

I trust this allays your concerns.

I seek leave to table the letter from the then federal Labor leader to the Australian Health Insurance Association containing the broken promise on keeping the 30 per cent health insurance rebate.

Leave not granted.

Exhibit No. 6 is from the Hobart Mercury and is a letter of 2 September 2004 from the current Prime Minister, and then shadow minister for health. It states: 'Tasmanian Liberal deputy leader told two lies in the Mercury when he said that a Labor government would scrap the private health insurance rebate. I grow tired of saying this: Labor is committed to the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate.'

I seek leave to table the letter in the Hobart Mercury of the current Prime Minister, and then shadow minister for health, dated 2 September 2004, containing this further broken promise that Labor was committed to maintaining the health insurance rebate.

Leave not granted.

What a surprise; they simply do not want to know. Does anyone see a pattern here with the infamous broken promise on the carbon tax? Not only do we have Labor misleading the public on important policy issues but they take the misrepresentation further by accusing those dastardly Liberals of a scare campaign by daring to suggest that Labor cannot be trusted.

It is not just broken promises on the health insurance rebate and the carbon tax. We have seen this government mislead the member for Denison and leave him hanging out to dry. We have seen them mislead the public on the issue of gay marriage. But I think the most appalling example of this government's misleading conduct is their statement in regard to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. For the Prime Minister to get up in front of a room full of disabled people and their carers at last year's national disability awards and claim that the NDIS will be the defining achievement of this government, when they have not committed one brass razoo and not one single cent to funding for the NDIS was absolutely shameful.

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