Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was listening very carefully to what the member for Denison was talking about before. He was talking about the problems with the Tasmanian Labor-Greens government. Today I rise to speak in my constituency statement to also talk about problems with the current federal Labor-Greens government. The issue that I am going to focus on today is of concern to all Australians and, in particular, to those in my federal electorate of Higgins, and that is to ensure that all Australians receive the very best health care that they can and receive the best health care when they need it. For many Australians, the opportunity for choice in their health care was broadened very significantly when the coalition government brought in government rebates for private health insurance and made it more affordable for many Australians and their families. This week, though, the government will again attempt—for the third time—to means-test the private health insurance rebate.

With the new Greens balance of power in the Senate, the Labor-Greens alliance will try to ram through this legislation in the Senate and, again, in the House and—who knows?—maybe they have also cut a deal with the Independents. If you can say one thing about the Greens on this particular issue, it is: at least they have been consistent. They are ideologically opposed to private health insurance and will do everything within their power to stop any government rebate for private health insurance. The Labor Party, however, has been much more duplicitous. To get an idea of how duplicitous the Labor Party has been on this issue, let us take a look back. On 20 November 2007, just four days before he became Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd wrote:

Labor is committed to retaining the existing private health insurance rebates …

Then, in October 2008, Labor increased the Medicare levy surcharge thresholds from $50,000 to $70,000 per year for single people and from $100,000 to $140,000 per year for couples or families. Following this, Nicola Roxon said, in 2009:

The Government is firmly committed to retaining the existing private health insurance rebates.

Now, right on cue, we have the latest attempt to make it harder for Australians to access private health insurance: means-testing the health insurance rebates. Labor's legislation will make it far more expensive. It will have a very real impact on people's ability to keep and hold their private health insurance and it will have a very real impact on the public health budget as well, as more Australians will be forced into the public health system.

This year the budget for health came in at just over $59 billion. It was the third most significant item in the government's expenditure. We know from the Intergenerational report that that amount will continue to increase, with health costs continuing to blow out. Seventy-seven per cent of my electorate of Higgins have private health insurance, and this will affect each and every one of them. I will continue to fight to retain proper funding for private health insurance. (Time expired)