Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This question time has demonstrated, I think, what poor public policy practitioners the opposition were while in government, and they clearly have not learnt. The opposition’s questions regarding health insurance demonstrate their poor approach to public policy. I would like to commend Senator Feeney for raising the importance of these issues in his first speech. And I reject the notion offered by the opposition that younger, healthier people should be coerced into subsidising health insurance for others. I say this for the following reasons. There is significant evidence to suggest that in many instances people hold cheap health insurance simply to avoid the levy. When you hold health insurance and intend to use it there is a significant need to insure yourself above the insurance rebates—in other words, there are significant gap payments to be made. Despite the fact they hold insurance, many people cannot afford a private hospital bed or a private practitioner. As a result, many people who hold private health insurance still have no option but to occupy a bed in a public hospital. Some will pay a smaller gap, as charged by the public hospital; others, however, make no claim and they use the public system.

Who is subsidising who? Not only do we have taxpayers who are healthy and do not need to use insurance, but we also have taxpayers who have paid their insurance and cannot afford to use it. So people who cannot afford to use it are subsidising the health insurance rebates from health funds for those who can. That is a shame. What is more, the taxpayer is paying twice—once in the form of the 30 per cent rebate for health insurance that is not used and a second time for the care of the patient in a public hospital. This clearly highlights the unjust, nonsensical nature of our current private health insurance penalties for those who cannot afford insurance. It also illustrates why Labor’s bill should be passed.

Another issue in question time today that was highlighted by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, was that industry was in danger of being left behind because of the opposition’s failure when it was in government to introduce an emissions trading scheme. Trade unions also know that we have to get on with the job of reducing emissions and get on with putting together a scheme that protects both the environment and our long-term economic interests. Failure to recognise that failure to act means that industry will be faced with uncertainty for their investments, and the opposition still fails to recognise this. It is important for an economy to adjust to climate change; otherwise we will be unable to attract investment. I think this is a point that the minister made very well in his answers to questions. The government is at a crucial stage of the development of this policy. It is getting on with the job. It is consulting. We will have a well-designed emissions trading system.

Lastly, I would like to highlight issues of relevance to the Western Australian education system. I think there was a blatant attempt to politicise a very important issue right before the state election.