Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
2:37 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's comment yesterday that 70 per cent of GP visits at the moment are bulk-billed. Is the Prime Minister aware that the latest figures show that the bulk-billing rate is in fact 83.6 per cent? How can the government introduce a GP tax when the Prime Minister does not even know how many Australians rely on bulk billing for medical treatment?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
2:38 pm
I stand by my comments, and I simply point out to the shadow minister who asked the question: if it is right and proper for a modest co-payment to be applied to people getting PBS drugs, how can it be wrong and immoral for people to be charged a modest co-payment for a visit to the GP?
Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
Speaker, I rise on a point of order going to relevance. The Prime Minister was asked a question about the bulk-billing rate and his failure to actually know what it is and Australia's reliance on it. Perhaps he could answer that question.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
That is an argument. There is no point of order. The member will resume her seat. The Prime Minister will continue his answer to the question as put.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
This issue of the so-called the unfairness of co-payments—
Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
'So-called'!
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Well, how can it be unfair when Labor imposes a co-payment on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme drugs? How can it be fair for Labor to impose a co-payment and unfair for the coalition to impose a co-payment? This exposes the utter, absolute and total hypocrisy of members opposite.
We all know that the father of the Medicare co-payment is Bob Hawke; we all know that the mother of the Medicare co-payment is the member for Jagajaga—
Ms Macklin interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Jagajaga will desist and withdraw that remark.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
We all know that the son of the Medicare co-payment is the member for Fraser. I have discovered that a kind of cousin of the co-payment is in fact the member for Hunter, who said that the co-payment decision was a very brave one, but it was justifiable; it was a decision designed to address the ever-burgeoning cost while maintaining the scheme's most basic aim: affordability. He was talking about the PBS, but what is right for the PBS is right for Medicare as well.
Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
Madam Speaker, I am just seeking leave to table a transcript of the Bolt Report where the Prime Minister stated that the bulk-billing rebate for GP visits was 70 per cent.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
I made a ruling about requesting for leave to table.
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education
It's on the public record.
Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
It might assist the Prime Minister.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
It is a moot point whether the actual transcript is on the public record; certainly the words are. So I think we will say it is on the public record.