Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

In terms of surgery, we have a very good public health system, but, in some areas, there are waits for people. For medical treatment, that is why some people go private, because they can get their surgery done faster than waiting on the public list. But I would say that, in this country, we do have an excellent public health system that provides services to anyone, regardless of their background or need. That is important to understand.

The other thing is the work we're trying to do for medical professionals, those private specialists, to publish their fees so that people can see, at the earliest opportunity, the going rates. The doctors haven't been as fast as we would like to upload some of that information, and I think we need to continue to put more pressure on there.

In terms of the private health insurance and any increase there, we need to make sure that any increases are reasonable in line with escalating costs.