Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes the Government's decision to cut the private health insurance rebate for Australians over 65, which will significantly increase health costs for older Australians during a cost of living crisis;

(2) recognises analysis showing couples over 65 with gold cover could face an additional $1,614 in costs from April 2027, representing a record increase in private health insurance costs;

(3) condemns the Government for targeting older Australians and pensioners on fixed incomes, forcing many to either pay substantially more or abandon their private health cover altogether;

(4) expresses concern that this policy will place even greater pressure on already stretched public hospitals, leading to longer elective surgery waitlists, increased ambulance ramping and worse patient outcomes; and

(5) calls on the Government to immediately reverse these rebate cuts, release the modelling underpinning the decision, and protect older Australians from further cost of living pressures and declining access to healthcare.

Today I rise because too many older Australians are facing a choice: the choice between private health insurance and the basic necessities. I stand here today to give voice to the more than 1,368—and counting—older Australians who have reached out to my office to express their concerns, their frustration and their fears.

This government is forcing more people to make the choice between private health insurance and the basic necessities of life. And let's call this for what it is. This is a government that is punishing those who do not vote for them. It's a government that is punishing the older Australians who have worked so hard for this country and who have secured their own future and structured their retirement in a way to make sure that they have a comfortable retirement, and who, now, are seeing the rules change.

Under Labor, health costs have risen by around 17 per cent. This pressure is not abstract, because, as I've said, we ran a survey of McPherson residents over 65 and found that a significant proportion have experienced repeated increases in the cost of private health insurance over the last four years under this government. This is a government that should be easing that pressure, not forcing these residents to pay more for the health care that they need.

Australians over the age of 65 on fixed incomes, or those who rely on the aged pension, often are the ones who have the greatest healthcare needs, and they have those needs increasingly as they age. And those are the Australians that depend on the private health insurance system.

The average age of a person covered by private health insurance in McPherson is 63, and 47.72 per cent of admitted patients who used private health insurance were aged 65 to 84. These are our most vulnerable Australians. Cutting that rebate is going to hurt around 3.2 million older Australians. But it's not just hurting them; it's hurting their families—it's hurting the young people that are looking after them. And, as for all those who are in that ageing bracket below the age of 65, it's going to hurt them as well.

My survey has had nearly 1,500 respondents. Let's have a look at what it shows. It shows that only 18.8 per cent of respondents said that they could afford any increase to their private health insurance cost, that 31.4 per cent intend to cancel their private health insurance altogether, and that an additional 40 per cent say they might have to cancel their private health insurance.

The same survey showed that older Australians rely on private health insurance for a range of often very serious conditions. Patricia from Merrimac has already had to cancel her home, contents and car insurance and says that this increase to her fees says that she won't be able to eat properly. Susan from Robina says that she's already living week to week and, at her age, needs private health insurance more than ever. She's having trouble sleeping, worrying about how much her bills are increasing under this Labor government. Margaret from Coolangatta says that she and her husband need to make a choice to cancel private health insurance for one of them and pray that the other one who no longer has cover doesn't experience any new health conditions as the cost could be fatal.

We can't allow people who've worked hard, paid their taxes and contributed to Australia to be forced into a position where they have to choose between cutting back on groceries, putting petrol in the car, paying the power bill and keeping their private health insurance that they rely on. Those opposite should be hanging their heads in shame, because these are our parents and grandparents and they do not deserve this. A government that has run out of money is going after them. That's not the way to do it. Older Australians are the ones who built this country and they are the ones who are most vulnerable right now. I've said it before. We'll call it out for what it is. It's a government that has lost control of the economic narrative. They've lost control of the economy and they're trying to recover money from older Australians, who are the most vulnerable. Just keep in mind as well that every older Australian who is forced to drop their private health insurance will actually put more pressure on an already stretched public system. Shame on this government. We are going to stand up for older Australians and make sure that we hold this government to account.

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