Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I briefly indicate in reiterating my position that I support this disallowance motion, for the same reasons that I supported the Health Insurance Amendment (Revival of Table Items) Bill 2009, introduced by Senator Cormann this morning.

I take issue with what the minister has said. Ultimately the government can fix this mess. To say there will not be any rebate whatsoever and that people will be out of pocket does not ring true to me. Ultimately this is something that the government have the ability and the power to sort out. I think they can sort through this mess in goodwill and in good faith, because I do not think the way these proposed changes are to be implemented is satisfactory. To say that they are going to leave hundreds of thousands of Australians potentially without cataract surgery or having to shift to the public health system—which will cause taxpayers to bear a huge burden and cause increased pressure on an already stressed system—is not good enough.

I urge the government to sit down and negotiate in good faith so that this can be resolved. To say, ‘We are going to abandon any rebate’—have no rebate whatsoever—just does not ring true and I do not think it will ring true out in the community. This is about a fair way forward. If the government is worried about overcharging and if it is worried about informed financial consent, those issues should be dealt with separately, not in the context that the government has dealt with them in relation to this measure. This is a measure that is simply too blunt and that is too brutal in its effect on senior citizens.

I think that Senator Cormann is unfair in his criticisms of the Minister for Health and Ageing. I think she has done a lot of good things and I think there are a number of measures that she has implemented and that she is trying to implement that are worth while. But in relation to this particular measure I think there is a better way forward and that is why I support this disallowance.