The Prime Minister has been caught out lying over his Government’s plan to privatise the Medicare payments system.
In a desperate attempt to get him through the election campaign, the Prime Minister told voters the Medicare privatisation plan had never been discussed by Cabinet.
“Some work has been done by the department so I gather but it has never been a decision of the government to outsource any part of Medicare services. It’s never come to the cabinet to be considered to outsource any part of Medicare services.”
Malcolm Turnbull, 20 June 2016
That lie has been blown out of the water with the blocking of a Freedom of Information request to The Australian seeking a copy of a letter from the Prime Minister to the Health Minister relating to “Health Service and Age Care Payments Contestability”.
The request has been refused on the grounds that the document sought “contains Cabinet-related material”.
“The department has advised that the document contains information the disclosure of which would reveal a Cabinet deliberation or decision”.
The decision confirms Malcolm Turnbull lied to voters when he told them that the plan to privatise the Medicare payments system had never come before Cabinet.
It confirms Malcolm Turnbull’s promise to “never, ever” privatise Medicare is as believable as Tony Abbott’s promise of “no cuts to health”.
Don’t look at what the Liberals say – look at what they are doing.
In their first term in office the Liberals:
- Froze Medicare benefits for six years to drive down bulk billing and make patients pay more.
- Cut bulk billing payments for pathology and diagnostic imaging to make patients pay more.
- Announced cuts to the Medicare Safety Net to make patients pay more.
- Hiked the cost of prescriptions to make patients pay more.
Nothing, absolutely nothing this Government says on health can be believed.
At every opportunity, every budget, they have cut health and sought to destroy Medicare and make patients pay more.
Only Labor believes access to healthcare should depend on your Medicare card, not your credit card.
Labor introduced Medicare and we will always protect it.