Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

Of course it is a lie, Senator Cormann. If you watched parliament prior to 2007, the then health minister said time and time again that Labor would means test the private health insurance rebate. Of course, it was Tony Abbott who said that. We made those comments, and the now Deputy Prime Minister stood up and accused Tony Abbott of telling lies. Well, he was telling the truth, because that is exactly what this government has done. Then, as I mentioned, in November 2007, in a letter to the Australian Health Insurance Association that is not worth the paper it is written on, the Prime Minister wrote:

Both my Shadow Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon, and I have made clear on many occasions that Federal Labor is committed to retaining the existing private health insurance rebates, including the 30 per cent general rebate and the 35 and 40 per cent rebates for older Australians. Federal Labor will also maintain Lifetime Health Cover in the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

Of course that was a lie. This piece of legislation puts a lie to those comments of 20 November 2007. And there is another one in February 2008, in the Australian, the quote of the Prime Minister: ‘The private health insurance rebate remains unchanged and will remain unchanged.’ ‘Absolutely! Believe me!’