Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

Like Senator Murray, I will speak to all three proposed amendments. The amendments canvass different areas but I would like to go to the question of mutualisation in a general sense. The government afforded to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration one day of hearings for the inquiry into the sale of Medibank Private. The number of submissions made to this inquiry into what was in the community a huge potential sale was quite limited. It is no wonder that we did not go to the question of whether mutualisation was an option.

In another life, with a different balance of power in this place, I would imagine that such a significant proposal from the government of the day would not be referred to a legislation committee—as it was—but to a references committee. Whilst we are dealing with a piece of legislation, in my view the principle is that it would have been referred to a references committee by agreement of the senators who sit on this side of the chamber. If we had done that, we would have had a much broader inquiry which would have allowed these sorts of questions to be teased out. Senator Murray’s questions around first right of refusal and mutualisation might then have been answered.

But the government referred this bill, which will potentially bring it revenue of up to $2 billion, to a one-day hearing within a very truncated period. The submissions that were made were very specifically on the question of the legislation. That would not have happened prior to the last election. We would not have managed a policy proposal in this way. So the Senate inquiry does not inform the three amendments that Senator Murray has spoken about. We did not have a community view about mutualisation. It is referred to fleetingly in some of the submissions but there is no full discussion of whether mutualisation is an appropriate way to go.

Senator Murray, when Labor wins the next election we will not need this advice, but thank you very much anyway. The Labor position is very clear: we will not be selling Medibank Private Ltd. Thanks for the offer, but you will not need to provide Labor with options on how we might sell it, because we will not sell it. It is very kind of you to think of us in the future. There is a very clear choice for electors at the next election: if you want to keep Medibank Private in public ownership, vote Labor, but if you are happy with the ramifications of the sale for health generally, for the private health sector and for Medibank Private itself, then I suggest you vote for the Howard government.

We know what the community thinks. The community is quite clearly opposed to this privatisation. As I said in my speech in the second reading debate, we will make every effort in the next campaign to remind people of Labor’s position on this matter. Thank you for thinking of us, Senator Murray, but Labor will not be supporting your amendments.