Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of this bill, the Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Age of Dependants) Bill 2021. But this bill is good news and bad news. As the father of four daughters I can distinctly remember having the conversation with each of them that has gone on and become 'independent'—and I use that in inverted commas, as any parent would know!—about the merits of continuing with private health insurance, and each has complained bitterly about having to themselves fund what they once enjoyed for free from Mum and Dad's wallet. We all know, of course, that the more people—in particular, young people—we keep in private health the better it is for everybody. Young people are, by their very nature, less likely to need private health insurance because most of them don't get sick. But having it is very, very welcome when things go wrong, and sometimes they go badly wrong.

I remember having a conversation with one of my daughters, who had left home and was over 24, who said, 'Dad, I just can't afford to pay for private health insurance.' The bad side of this bill is that we as parents all know we're going to pick up the tab. We want to make sure that our kids, whether they are dependent or independent, have that health cover for as long as they possibly can—for those parents who can afford it. So this is very, very sensible reform, and I'm very pleased to see that members opposite are on board with this reform, because, as I said, the more people, particularly young people, we have in private health insurance, the better it is for all of us. It keeps costs down. It keeps premiums lower than would otherwise be the case.

For young people who are living as dependants, this reform will see the age at which they will be able to remain on the family health insurance policy go from 24 to 31. This will see, I believe, a significant number of families, mums and dads, being able to contribute and help out, and maybe the young people will be able to help as well to pay for some of their own health insurance—because we all know that a family health policy will be far cheaper, even when you add another person to it, than a standalone policy for a young person.

One of the great reforms to come out of this bill will impact on the tens of thousands of families—and I'm very pleased to say it will actually help the Wallace family as well—who have a disabled child. These reforms will ensure that a child or a young person, a dependant who lives with a disability, will be able to remain on that private family health cover for the life of that young person or the life of the dependant person who lives with a disability.

What does living with a disability mean? Clearly, in the first instance, anybody who's receiving benefits under the NDIA will be classified as someone who lives with a disability, but I understand that that definition could grow in time. This is, once again, very, very sensible reform, which I'm pleased is a bipartisan reform and which gives parents in particular, and not least also the person living with a disability, the sort of comfort that comes from knowing that the person who lives with a disability will have and enjoy the fruits of private health insurance. This is very, very important, particularly for people who live with a disability, so that they know that, if they fall ill, they can choose their own doctor, they can choose their own hospital, and the time in which they will be able to access that treatment is usually much quicker, particularly for elective surgery, than what it would otherwise be if they were in the public health system.

As the father of a young lady who lives with a disability, I can say that this will bring great peace of mind to parents. It's hard enough being a parent with a child of any age with a disability, but, once a young person reaches the age of 24, without these reforms, parents would more than likely have to pay for a separate standalone policy, if they can afford it. Maybe they can't afford it. But this reform will enable parents to keep their disabled children on a family policy, and there will be very significant cost savings to them doing so.

So I commend the bill to the House. It is sensible reform. I thank those opposite for supporting this bill.

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