Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in opposition to the GP co-payment—the GP tax of $7. It is not just me who is speaking against it in my electorate; thousands and thousands of people who live in the electorate are speaking up. On the front page of the Bendigo Advertiser on Saturday there was a letter from a 10-year-old girl, Rachael. In her letter, she wrote: 'Dear Mr Prime Minister, the GP tax is unfair and it is a disgrace.' This is from a 10-year-old girl, saying she is disgraced by the actions of this government. There was also the article in yesterday's Midland Express, with comments from the Rural Doctors Association and local GP, Dr Richard Bills, from the Woodend clinic in Brooke Street, saying he is seriously concerned about the impacts that the GP tax will have not only on his surgery but on the local community. He believes that the GP tax will be a deterrent to those most in need of seeking help. He is also concerned about the effects it will have on rural communities, and I share his concern. In rural communities GPs do not just open their surgery from nine to five; they go out to nursing homes. He asked the questions: 'Will I have to take my accountant with me to these services? Will I have to take a cash register to these services?' How will the government manage the $7 GP tax in nursing homes?

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