Tony Abbott’s first budget will see Western Australia receiving billions of dollars less in hospital funding and massively increased out of pocket health costs for every family.
The Abbott government’s plan to introduce a tax on doctor visits will cost Western Australians an extra $79 million in out of pocket costs every single year.
The cuts in this budget along will see Western Australia’s hospitals receiving $196 million less in funding. The change in the funding formula Tony Abbott wants to force will see a $50 billion cut to hospitals across Australia. That would see Western Australia receive billions less in hospital funding.
The plan to increase the cost of medicines is an additional blow to every Western Australian, many of whom already struggle with the cost of multiple script. Labor will oppose this and fight against Tony Abbott’s plan to introduce a tax on doctor visits at every turn.
The Abbott government was not upfront with the Australian people about its plans to introduce these taxes before the last election and should not be allowed to get away with them now.
‘Before the last election Tony Abbott promised no new taxes and no cuts to health. He has smashed this promise and every Western Australian will be worse off because of it’, said Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King.
Tony Abbott cannot be believed when it comes to health.
As the party that established Medicare Labor will fight for it. The destruction of Medicare would be Tony Abbott’s biggest broken promise of all. Labor won’t let that happen.