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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 45 ..

MRS CARNELL: We have advertised for 100 per cent bulk-billing doctors. We have certainly attempted to find 100 per cent bulk-billing doctors for our health centres; but, in line with what I told the Assembly last year, the doctors who were at the health centres at that stage said that, in their view, it was simply not viable to stay on as fully bulk-billing doctors. I again urge the Assembly to rethink their position and accept that as long as doctors are bulk-billing people in need - that means people with health care cards and people with pensioner benefit cards - that would guarantee our capacity to get 100 per cent bulk-billing doctors into our health centres. That is exactly the same position as I put last year. We have done everything in our power to convince doctors to come into our health centres on that basis, as I said, including offering discounted rents, particularly good deals with regard to equipment, and so on.

The reality is that the doctors are saying that it is not viable if they cannot charge even people who are extremely well off for their medical treatment. Remember that we are talking only about the gap between the Medicare payment, which is around $20, and the amount of money that GPs in this city charge, which is somewhere between $28 and $30. So we are talking about at most $10 for people who are on fairly good incomes. I do not believe that that is unreasonable. I believe that the Assembly should relook at the situation and accept doctors who bulk-bill pensioners, people on low incomes and people who are health care card holders.

MR WHITECROSS: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I note that, in answering the question, Mrs Carnell completely failed to answer the question, which asked what she had done since 6 December. The answer appears to be nothing. I can only conclude that from Mrs Carnell's refusal to answer the question she was asked. By way of supplementary question, I ask: What has she done since 6 December? Has she placed advertisements interstate, including the offer of free rent, as suggested by Mr Osborne? If she has not, would she agree that she has let down both Mr Osborne and the Assembly and that her actions have reduced medical services to the Canberra community?

MRS CARNELL: I certainly do not believe that we have ever suggested that we would offer free rent. It is the role of the Government to ensure that community facilities do get an adequate return, and that is what this Government will continue to do. We have had numbers of discussions with doctors who have expressed some interest in becoming 100 per cent bulk-billing doctors in our health centres. At this stage there is no doubt that we have no further interest. There are doctors at most of our health centres around the ACT. We have done an enormous amount since then, but the reality is that this Assembly put conditions on this situation which were, according to the doctors in the marketplace, unworkable.

I ask that further questions be put on the notice paper.

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