Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to Senator Nash, the Minister representing the Minister for Health. I refer the National Party assistant health minister to the government's proposed $650 million cuts to Medicare bulk-billing rates.

I note that respected Tasmanian health professionals like scientist Richard Hanlon have warned that the effect on patients will be quite significant because it will discourage patients from going to their doctors, patients may pay up to a $30 co-payment and it has the potential to stop patients from testing for chronic diseases like diabetes and undertaking pap smears for women's cancers. It will remove a 10-year focus on primary health care so that hospitals in the future will become inundated, and cancers and diabetes will not be seen until it is too late.

Can the assistant minister produce studies or modelling which prove Tasmanian medical scientist Richard Hanlon is wrong?