Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that despite the Prime Minister claiming he had heard a “very clear lesson” about his attacks on Medicare, 100 days since the election not one cut to Medicare has been reversed; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to;

(a) guarantee to keep Medicare in public hands as a universal health insurance scheme for all Australians;

(b) guarantee to protect bulk billing so that every Australian can see their doctor when they need to and not only when they can afford to;

(c) reverse his harmful cuts to Medicare by unfreezing the indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule;

(d) reverse his cuts to pathology that will mean Australians with cancer will pay more for blood tests;

(e) reverse his cuts to breast screening, MRIs, x-rays and other diagnostic imaging which will mean Australians will pay more for vital scans;

(f) abandon his plans to make all Australians, even pensioners, pay more for vital medicines; and

(g) develop a long-term agreement to properly fund our public hospitals so Australians don’t languish in our emergency departments or on long waiting lists for important surgery.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Maribyrnong from moving the following motion forthwith—That the House:

(1) notes that despite the Prime Minister claiming he had heard a “very clear lesson” about his attacks on Medicare, 100 days since the election not one cut to Medicare has been reversed; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to:

(a) guarantee to keep Medicare in public hands as a universal health insurance scheme for all Australians;

(b) guarantee to protect bulk billing so that every Australian can see their doctor when they need to and not only when they can afford to;

(c) reverse his harmful cuts to Medicare by unfreezing the indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule;

(d) reverse his cuts to pathology that will mean Australians with cancer will pay more for blood tests;

(e) reverse his cuts to breast screening, MRIs, x-rays and other diagnostic imaging which will mean Australians will pay more for vital scans;

(f) abandon his plans to make all Australians, even pensioners, pay more for vital medicines; and

(g) develop a long-term agreement to properly fund our public hospitals so Australians don’t languish in our emergency departments or on long waiting lists for important surgery.

Earlier today, I said that there would be times when we disagree, and Medicare is a fundamental fault line between the government and the opposition. Today marks 100 days since the election—100 days since voters in Lindsay, Herbert, Bass, Cowan and 12 other former coalition seats voted to save Medicare. And as we all know, that means it has been about 99½ days since the Prime Minister's post-election speech in the early hours of Sunday morning after the election—also technically known as a tantrum. What a performance that was! Churchill at least wanted to fight them on the beaches, Martin Luther King had a dream, Gough Whitlam told us 'It's time,' and Malcolm said: 'Call the police; we was robbed!'

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