Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Nash. Given the minister's failure to answer my question in this chamber last week, I ask again: can the minister confirm that when patients go on the anticlotting medication Warfarin they usually require a large number of visits to determine whether their blood is too thin or thin enough for this treatment? Is it not true that with the $7 GP tax this could add up to hundreds of dollars for this life-saving treatment?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have indicated to the chamber, it is a matter for practitioners to determine whether or not they will charge the co-pay. This government is absolutely committed to implementing its budget agenda, including ensuring the sustainability of the health system into the future. The GP co-payment is consistent with the principle that underpins the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which has been in place for decades. This government is absolutely committed to ensuring—unlike those opposite when they were in government—that we will have a health system that is sustainable into the future.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. How many patients on Warfarin will not seek the care they need and forfeit their life-saving medical care as a result of these costs?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The arrangements for patients and the number of patients will depend on the practitioners and whether or not they choose to charge the co-pay. This government has been extremely clear—extremely clear—that we are committed to implementing our budget agenda, which includes ensuring a sustainable health system into the future. We see an MBS system that 10 years ago was costing us $8 billion, that now is costing us $19 billion and that in 10 years time will cost us $34 billion if we do not take the measures we are taking to ensure we have an appropriate system in place.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to the Minister for Health, who has said, 'We are not for negotiating on co-payments.' I ask: does the government remain committed to the $7 GP tax?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is committed to implementing our budget agenda. We inherited from the previous Labor government an economic mess that this government has the responsibility—unlike those opposite—to fix.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left! I am waiting to give Senator Wong the call. Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order on relevance. The question was very specific: is the government committed to the $7 GP tax? That was the question that was asked.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister still has 44 seconds remaining. I am listening carefully to the minister's answer. At this stage there is no point of order.

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the government is committed to implementing our budget agenda to fix the economic mess of the previous Labor government, which included the Leader of the Opposition, as the then minister, wasting $300 million purchasing water from Twynam which actually did not exist. That was only one occasion of waste and mismanagement from the previous Labor government, and that is why this government is taking the responsible decisions to fix the economic mess.