Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition's plan to introduce a GP tax will hit families in the Hunter and on the Central Coast very hard. In my electorate of Shortland, based on the current bulk-billing figures, the GP tax could cost families $4.4 million a year or more. In the Hunter it is similar. You can read today's, Newcastle Herald front page to learn more about it. The Herald highlights that the GP tax could cost Hunter families about $21 million a year, hitting those who can least afford it hardest. This is a huge amount for local families to be asked to pay.

The government is proposing that people pay a $6 fee every time they visit the doctor. This is not about wealthy people paying more for GP visits; this is about sick people paying more for GP visits—which is totally absurd.

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