Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. A health department document reveals that his GP freeze will stay until 2020 for critical mental health care plans. Why is the Prime Minister making Australians who use mental health care plans, including kids with autism, pay more to get the treatment they need?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor started the Medicare freeze and we are ending it. In the 2013 budget, Labor set out the Medicare freeze—$664 million was the cost of their freeze not over one year, not over two years, not over three years, but over four years and continuing right now. It is Labor's freeze that we are ending. In case there is any doubt about that, we struck agreement with not just one major medical group—or two, three or even four—but five and they have been tabled before the House. And what was their response to the carefully worked through plan? The Australian Medical Association: 'Farewell freeze—government wins back goodwill with positive health measures.' 'Lifting the Medicare rebate freeze is overdue, but we welcome it,' said the head of the AMA, Dr Gannon. 'The policy breakthroughs in the 2017 Health Budget are the direct result of the consultative approach of Health Minister, Greg Hunt, with the hands-on input and support of the Prime Minister.'

What did the college of GPs, the peak body for Australia GPs, say? The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has welcomed the lifting of the Medicare rebate freeze: 'The lifting of the freeze was exactly what the RACGP's campaign was aiming for.' And it goes on. The Royal Australian College of Physicians, the RACP, 'welcomes the government's commitment to lifting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat for a second. The member for Macarthur on a point of order.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The AMA—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur needs to state the point of order.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance. The AMA does not speak for all doctors. I am a 40-year member of the AMA—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur will resume his seat. He will not debate the matter through a point of order. The Minister for Health has the call.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, let me stand up for the reputation of the AMA—because this fellow over here is certainly not going to do that. What happened on Friday was that, frustrated by the agreements that we had struck, the Leader of the Opposition turned and fired his guns at the AMA's reputation—and he did it to himself as well. And you know why they did that? Because they are embarrassed. We have done what they never could: we have struck agreements with not just one, two, three or even four major medical groups but five. In the process, the Leader of the Opposition accused the doctors of 'cash for no comment'. That is not a paraphrase, those are the Leader of the Opposition's own words: 'cash for no comment'. That is not our way. We are lifting the freeze. The ALP imposed it and we are doing what they would not.