Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Minchin, I seek leave to move a motion to give precedence to:

• the introduction and consideration of: a bill for an Act to amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to provide for the revival of certain medical services items should later items be disallowed; and
• Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 3 for today.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice, and at the request of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Minchin, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Senator Minchin moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to:

• a motion for the introduction of A bill for an Act to amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to provide for the revival of certain medical services items should later items be disallowed; and
• consideration of that bill and Business of the Senate notice of motion no. 3.

More than seven weeks ago, the coalition, together with Senators Fielding and Xenophon, gave notice of our intention to disallow the government’s moves to reduce Medicare rebates for cataract surgery. We made it very clear that our intention was to prevent the government from cutting those rebates and certainly from deleting those items from the regulations altogether. The reason we want to prevent the government from cutting those rebates is that we take the view that it will hurt patients, it will make this life-changing surgery unaffordable for many Australians, it will push people into the public health system—where the particular procedure is actually more expensive for taxpayers—and it will hurt Australians, in particular those in rural and regional Australia.

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister Roxon, has had plenty of notice. Has she done anything? She has not done anything at all. True to form, she sat on her hands at first. Then out came the scare campaign and then, two days ago, in her usual reckless fashion, she pressed ahead, regardless of the fact that she well knew that a majority of senators in this chamber did not support the cuts the government was trying to push through the parliament.

We were keen to handle this issue in a very sensible and reasonable fashion. It is a very unusual for us to use this process and we do not do this lightly. Our intention had been, and we made our intention very clear, to stop the government from cutting those rebates for surgery by 50 per cent. We wanted to do it in a very responsible and reasonable fashion, so we gave notice yesterday of a disallowance motion and we also gave notice that we would seek to amend the Health Insurance Act. In good faith we informed senators in the chamber that we intended to move two amendments to the Health Insurance Amendment (Compliance) Bill 2009. That would have been a very easy, non-disruptive way for the Senate to deal with this.

What did the government do? Rather than grasping the opportunity of cleanly and smoothly handling this challenge faced by the Senate, the government—even though for the whole week it had been telling us that this was a very important and urgent bill, and it was listed on the Senate red on Monday and Tuesday—at the last minute, seconds before the Health Insurance Amendment (Compliance) Bill was due to pass the House of Representatives and just before the third reading vote was to take place, it deferred further consideration of the bill. That was a reckless and irresponsible move, and by doing it the government did not leave us with any option other than to take the steps that we have are undertaking here today.

This is a very serious issue. The coalition, together with Senators Fielding and Xenophon, have made it very clear that we do not support this savage cut to Medicare rebates for cataract surgery. We think it will hurt patients, we think it will push patients into the public system—into the lengthy and overburdened public hospital queues—and we think it will hurt patients, in particular in regional Australia. We will do what it takes, and if this is what it takes then this is what we will do. The government was well aware, but they were trying to push through a budget cut for which they did not have majority support in the Senate. It was due to come into effect on 1 November. It was announced on budget night in May, but two days ago the government finally tabled those regulations—with four days to go. Nicola Roxon, the health minister, has been out there frightening patients and frightening doctors. She has been threatening the Senate knowing that there are only four days to go. She has said, ‘If you pass this disallowance motion, there will be no rebate at all.’ It is an absolute disgrace.

The process that we are engaging in today will give the government an opportunity to deal with this matter responsibly. Our intention is to ensure that, if the Senate disallows those cuts to Medicare rebates for cataract surgery, we will revert to the Medicare rebates that are currently in place. That is the intention behind the process that we are engaging in today.