Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to associate myself with the comments made by Minister Ley. It certainly is bold of the opposition to stand here today and talk about health and ageing. It absolutely galls me to witness the member for Ballarat and the member for Blair attempting to hoodwink Australian people through scaremongering on a range of fronts and not being truthful in the comments that they are making. It is behaviour that is becoming typical of Labor. Their signature scaremongering has become boring and predictable, and we saw that in question time today. I am livid that they are standing here today and attempting to deny the Australian people, including the people of my electorate, their right to have a say.

We on this side of the House have proven time and time again that we want to take a consultative approach to health and ageing. Under Minister Fifield, for example, we called for feedback on Commonwealth aged care advocacy services to assure older Australians and their families and carers about their rights and responsibilities when accessing aged-care services. Now, under Minister Ley, an online survey has been released that asks consumers for their views on private health insurance and how they think it can deliver better value for money.

Mr Neumann interjecting—

The member for Blair may want to intervene and interject, and that is fine, but be truthful in what you say to fellow Australians. Unlike Labor, the Turnbull government does not fear the collective voice of the people we represent. We speak to mum and dad voters of Australia about their health and their health care and believe that private health insurance is a fundamental part of our health system. The fact of the matter is that Australians dumped or downgraded half a million all-inclusive private health insurance policies after Labor's $3.5 billion worth of cuts to private health insurance, including cutting $2.4 billion from the government's private health insurance rebate; linking the indexation of private health insurance rebate to the consumer price index, cutting $700 million; and cutting $389 million from the private health insurance rebate for people with policies that are also paying the lifetime health cover loading. Ultimately this forced up premiums for 10.6 million Australians with hospital cover, leaving them angry and confused.

Ms King interjecting—

Member for Ballarat, you know what you have done. The member for Ballarat and the member for Blair are out of touch with mainstream Australia when the member for Ballarat implies that private health insurance is for the rich. Five point six million Australians with private health insurance have an annual household income of less than $50,000, and 3.4 million have an annual household income of less than $35,000. Labor's cuts to private health insurance only saw these people experience further cost-of-living pressures during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years of chaos.

At the end of the day, Labor's track record when it comes to health and aged care speaks for itself. It is ironic that the member for Blair refers to dementia support when Labor's flawed dementia and severe behaviours supplement had to be ceased last year after they incompetently budgeted $11.7 million and, in the first year of operation alone, costs blew out to $135 million, and it was not sustainable.

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