Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to condemn the coalition government for their continued attacks on Medicare. For 40 years we have seen the Liberal Party try to destroy Medicare. They opposed it from the start and continue to oppose it. More recently, we have had the former Prime Minister attempt to impose a GP tax on all of our citizens. Quite frankly, that would have hurt the fabric of Medicare. It would have hurt the fabric of our well performing health system here in Australia. That played a part in the downfall of the former Prime Minister, because Australians know that we have a healthcare system that should depend on what you need, not how much you can pay.

Unfortunately, the new Prime Minister has not learnt the lessons of our former Prime Minister, and he continues to attack Medicare. The new Prime Minister is cutting $650 million by scrapping bulk-billing incentives and cutting rebates for much-needed pathology and other investigative procedures. The result of these measures will be many out-of-pocket expenses for MRIs, X-rays and CAT scans, which will leave patients with cancer and other serious health conditions significantly out of pocket, potentially paying thousands of dollars up-front. We have also seen that these cuts will affect preventative services such as mammograms and Pap smears. This up-front cost would be a deterrent for many women and others to go and take preventative measures and get checked out before their health condition becomes quite chronic.

This cut is outrageous. We have had the shadow minister for health and many members on the Labor side of parliament standing up against these health cuts. I have had many constituents raise concerns about this with me. Gabriele from my electorate said: 'I would like to voice my concerns regarding having to pay for Pap smears, blood tests, scans and X-rays. I am not going to be able to afford these.' Kerry also says that these new cuts will mean it is impossible for families to save for their health care in the future.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We hear interjections from the other side. Why don't they go out and listen to their constituents and say, 'We are cutting health and we don't believe in universal health'? I will continue to stand up for my electorate, protect our universal health system and ensure that patients are not suffering as a result. (Time expired)