Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the government's unfair and cruel GP tax. This tax is particularly devastating to the people of regional and rural Australia, who will be hit hard by this doctor tax. In my area of northern New South Wales, locals know you just cannot trust the National Party when it comes to health care and hospitals. There are lots of rumours going around today about this GP tax but, whatever the Prime Minister may announce, we know it will be back—make no mistake about it. He has said he is committed to it. He remains committed to it. This is all about the Liberal-National Party destroying Medicare and destroying bulk-billing—that is their agenda.

Let's run through what the PM has announced so far. In the past, he has announced a $7 GP tax, a $20 rebate cut and a $5 GP tax. He has also announced four years worth of cuts to Medicare rebates. So what is next? Who knows how many more changes he will make? The one thing we do know is that on at least 53 occasions the Prime Minister has supported the GP tax as good or decent policy that he is committed to. On 7.30 on 2 September last year, he said it was 'good policy'. On 9 October he again said it was 'good policy'. In question time on 1 October, he said: 'It is right and proper that we have more price signals in our health system.' The fact is that the Prime Minister and the Liberal-National Party remain committed to a GP tax. Be under no illusions: this government is the greatest threat to Medicare that we have ever seen in its 30-year history. (Time expired)