The Abbott government has again broken its promise that there will be no cuts to health – for the third time since the election.
And just days after the Western Australian Senate Election, residents in Western Australia are waking up to read in today’s papers that their access to GP services will be cut. Families living in Rockingham, Brisbane and Darwin have been told they will have after hours and bulk billing GP services cut.
These cuts will make healthcare less accessible, putting additional pressure on Australia’s hospital system.
Tony Abbott promised no cuts to health – instead, today’s reports confirm his Government will cut tens of millions of dollars from primary health care. Worse still, he plans to force families to pay every time they take a sick child or elderly parent to the GP. This is just the beginning of the Abbott Government’s plan to dismantle Medicare.
Tony Abbott has the wrong priorities when it comes to health.
Every Budget is about making a choice, and today we’ve seen the Abbott Government’s twisted Budget priorities in health come to light.
The Abbott Government’s priority is to impose a GP tax on Australian families – and cut investment in primary health care which saves money in the long term and improves health outcomes.
The evidence is clear – investing in primary health care is more efficient, lowers hospital admissions, reduces health inequalities and improves health outcomes.
The truth is the vast majority of Labor’s GP Super Clinics are fully operational and providing services that had never been available in those communities beforehand. The vast majority of clinics are fully operational and providing much needed services.
GP Super Clinics are providing bulk billing services and afterhours access to doctors across Australia in areas that never had these services.
The healthcare Australians get should be determined by the healthcare families need, not where you live or what you can afford.