Page 1847 - Week 06 - Thursday, 5 June 2014
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following options. They can continue to bulk-bill 55 per cent of their consult, which means taking a significant drop in income. Even if they do not charge, they will get the reduced rebate and no incentive payment for the first consult per year for each patient. That is a loss of $14 per visit.
They can choose to charge a $7 co-payment and have no change in income compared to the current situation, but knowing that their actions will have a negative effect on the health of some of their patients. They can charge a co-payment that is greater than the $7, and approximately 45 per cent of consults will be business as usual. But for the 55 per cent of others, they will make their service unaffordable and, in all cases, will leave the patient $5 worse off.
The co-payments will be challenging and costly to administer and monitor. The administrative burden of a $7 co-payment on a GP small business is likely to be significant. We have heard many times from those opposite their great championship of small business, and that small business should be supported. The administrative burden of this co-payment on a GP small business will be significant, but that seems to be okay for the Canberra Liberals and the federal Liberals. It will further disadvantage those in our community. This co-payment will lead to a decline in health outcomes and a decline in access to health care for those that need it most.
The opportunity now for Mr Hanson is very clear. He either supports the co-payment or he does not. He either supports Canberrans having worse health outcomes under this regime or he does not. And if he continues to stand as the health representative of that side and support a co-payment, the contradiction and the hypocrisy are extraordinary. I ask the Canberra Liberals to support this. It is the right thing to do for our community.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (12.03), in reply: I thank Ms Burch for her comments and support for the motion. This is an important motion. It is about making a very clear statement on behalf of our community about our concerns about this co-payment and the impact it will have on our citizens in the ways that groups such as the Australian Medical Association and other experts have indicated.
As I said in my earlier remarks, I strongly believe that the universal access to health care that Medicare provides is a real cornerstone of the way we see ourselves in Australia. People look at places like America and say, “That’s not what we want.” I believe this is the first step on that path, and I think we should seek to stop this now.
As Mr Hanson touched on, there is quite a debate to be held on this in the federal parliament. I know that my federal Greens colleagues will be very strongly opposing this matter. That does not mean this is not a place for us to discuss it because it impacts directly on our constituents, and I think it is quite appropriate that this Assembly expresses a view.
Perhaps I should not have been surprised, but, as is his wont, Mr Hanson went straight to playing the person as opposed to discussing the topic. The commentary that he delivered on me is best left unresponded to because it really is not worth it. But it is worth discussing this measure and why I think it is important that this co-payment is
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