Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to speak about what is really happening with health care under this government. Last week Caringbah Family Practice, a longstanding clinic in my electorate, issued a statement explaining why they won't be joining Labor's new bulk-billing program. Their message was simple: the government's promises do not match reality. Even with the new incentives, the rebate still doesn't cover the cost of providing medical care. When you add up staff wages, rent, equipment and compliance, the clinic is losing money on every consultation.

To qualify for Labor's incentive, a clinic must bulk-bill every single patient every single time. That all-or-nothing rule might look good on paper, but in the real world it makes full participation impossible in my electorate. These are small community practices, not bureaucracies. They can't survive on wishful policy and underfunded promises. As Caringbah Family Practice put it, 'No business can survive losing money on every transaction.' That's the real truth behind Labor's so-called $8.5 billion Medicare reform, a policy that sounds generous but leaves local doctors footing the bill. Our GPs deserve respect and support, not empty slogans.

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