Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on a trifecta of issues in the health portfolio where the Morrison government, without a plan, is inflicting poorer health outcomes for my electorate. Official data recently released to the Senate by the health department shows that people in the Blair electorate are paying an average out-of-pocket fee of $36 just to see a GP. That's up 30 per cent since the coalition was elected. The health department also contradicted the government's rhetoric on bulk-billing, admitting that 20 per cent of patients in the Blair electorate have to pay to see a GP. Specialist out-of-pocket fees are also at record highs, with an average of $79 just to see a specialist—a staggering 50 per cent since the coalition came to power. These figures are a damning indictment of the coalition's record and neglect in terms of health. This is a government that tried and failed to impose a GP tax. They introduced a Medicare freeze—a GP tax by stealth. When the current Prime Minister was treasurer, he extended that freeze. Health costs have never been higher than they are under this Prime Minister.

The second issue I relates to the cuts in bulk-billing incentive payments in Ipswich. I recently received advice from the Primary Health Network that this was going to take place. This second cut experienced in 2019 greatly reduced the benefits for disadvantaged patients visiting doctors in my area, and flies in the face of the Darling Downs and West Moreton health needs assessment for 2019-2021 highlighting significant areas of disadvantage my electorate. For example, chronic disease in Ipswich is more than 10 per cent higher than the national average. I have called on the minister to reinstate the higher bulk-billing incentive payments in Ipswich in the best interests of patients, doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. This higher bulk-billing payment is really important. Affordable and accessible health care is vital to the quality of life of people living in Ipswich and its surrounds. I wrote to the minister on 8 January this year and I look forward to a response.

The third issue in the trifecta of health issues which are affecting my electorate is the new classification brought in from 1 July last year. There was a new distribution priority area brought in. I received a letter from the Minister for Regional Services on 2 July advising that, from 1 July, that would replace the district workforce shortage. The result of that was that certain areas in my electorate were severely disadvantaged. I wrote to the minister on 7 August last year asking that Ipswich, the Lower Somerset region and the Corunna Downs region be included in areas under the DPA. The reason for that is that GPs spoke to me in relation to the issue about problems in relation to getting GPs into the area. Approximately 50 per cent of GPs in the Ipswich and West Moreton region are non-Australians. So I wrote to the minister in relation to that. In response to that, the minister wrote to me on 23 September 2019 advising that if we have a dramatic reduction in the number of GPs employed in the area or a substantial drop in health services in the community then the health department will reconsider the issue again. He said he had established the distribution advisory group and it would be looked at at the next meeting. That's what the minister said in his letter to me.

I haven't heard from him since that time and I want to ask the minister to get back to me in relation to that and the distribution advisory group, because we know in our area that rurality and regionality in the Blair electorate really affect outcomes. There were perverse changes as a result of this DPA coming in and people in the local area are really concerned. That's why I had the support of the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service and the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN in asking for the reclassification, and my colleague and friend the member for Oxley in requesting the minister to look at this again. It's been a trifecta of decisions by this government affecting and afflicting my electorate, resulting in poorer health outcomes for people in the Somerset region, the Karana Downs region and Ipswich. Minister, look at this again. Minister Hunt, change your situation with respect to bulk-billing incentives. This government needs to lifts its game in health care.