Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to highlight a few measures contained in the budget that are of enormous benefit to the people of my electorate. There are some 8,600 small businesses in my electorate. Small companies that have an annual turnover of less than $2 million will have their tax rate cut from 30 per cent to 28.5 per cent. It is very important we help businesses expand, because ultimately they are the employers, not government. Businesses create jobs, not us.

We will spend an additional $3½ billion over five years on childcare assistance. Families earning around $65,000 or less will receive a subsidy of 85 per cent of their childcare fees. Contrary to what some on the other side—certainly the new state Labor government—would have you believe, Hinkler residents will benefit from the Commonwealth's increase in annual funding for Queensland hospitals by 27 per cent over the next four years. That is on top of the growth of nine per cent in 2014-15. It is the federal government that provides health funding directly to the states. It is up to the state government to decide how and where that money is spent.

We are spending $1.6 billion to list new medicines and vaccines on the PBS. That includes the shingles vaccine for Australians aged between 70 and 79. That is very important for Hinkler seniors, although I would like to see it start sooner than November 2016. It is very, very important for an aged electorate like mine, where we had a bad shingles outbreak last year, so I am very pleased it is on the PBS.

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

The one word we did not hear pass the lips of the Treasurer on budget night was Medicare, but that does not mean it is not under attack. We in this place have all learnt that it is not what the Treasurer says but what the Treasurer does that is important. The one thing that he did not do was left the freeze on the Medicare rebate. The freeze is still there. What does that mean to Australians when they go to the doctor? It means that the GP tax are still there. It is alive and well and will cost Australians in the vicinity of $8 when they go to the GP.

Mr Hockey was being mean and tricky, as we know Mr Hockey can be mean and tricky. He is getting the doctors to collect the tax for the government. I have to share with the House that, under this government, bulk-billing will fall. When the Prime Minister was health minister bulk-billing in Shortland electorate was less than 60 per cent. When Labor was in power it was up over 80 per cent. We all know that despite the words of the Prime Minister, he is not the best friend that Medicare ever had. (Time expired)