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

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President. If anybody in the other place or in this place takes issue with any of my comments then I am sure, Senator McLucas, that after your lecture they will have appropriate recourse through the standing orders. As I was saying, Prime Minister Gillard and other members of the Australian Labor Party have over many years repeatedly ruled out any changes to the private health insurance rebates. We are seeing now the breaking of that article of faith and the breaking of promises that they made to the Australian public on many, many, many occasions. Why should we be surprised at this from a government led by a Prime Minister that blatantly told the Australian public, 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'? Now we have a carbon tax.

There is an old Mafia saying that the fish smells from the head. I have to tell you that I think this government smells and reeks from the head. You have a Prime Minister that is prepared to say one thing to the Australian public and then do the complete opposite. Doing so taints every member and every person who contested the election for the Australian Labor Party, and the last election is tainted with the same stain, the same lie that is attributed to the government. What they said they now have to live with. I look forward to the next federal election, when those opposite and their Greens alliance partners will have to give account to the Australian public for every policy, for every misrepresentation and for every misleading statement. Yes, for every lie that they have told to the Australian public they will have to pay at the next federal election.

In the various debates that we have had in relation to private health insurance—even yesterday when we were seeking to refer this matter to the economics committee for proper examination—where is the Treasury modelling that goes with this legislation? This government has made a series of assertions in relation to the effect of private health insurance. It claims that only 27,000 people will drop cover as a result of this measure. But we know from the Deloitte's analysis that in the first year 175,000 people will be expected to withdraw from private hospital cover and a further 583,000 people will downgrade their cover. Over five years 1.6 million people will drop their cover and 4.3 million people will downgrade their coverage. All of this will have an effect on the public hospital system. That is the reality. This government has not fixed the public hospital system and this legislation will only compound the problem.