The Abbott Government must come clean with West Australians about its plans to cut funding from hospitals and introduce a GP tax, a hospital tax and make medicines more expensive.
“Tony Abbott’s broken promises on health cuts will cost West Australians $195 million over the next four years alone,” Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King said.
“Tony Abbott promised no cuts to health, but a GP Tax will see West Australians pay an extra $80 million to visit the doctor every year.”
The Abbott Government’s priorities are completely twisted. They have already cut $50 billion from public hospitals across Australia.
Over the next decade Western Australia’s public hospital system will lose a staggering $5.8 billion.
Now they are proposing the end of universal healthcare as we know it, creating a user pays system.
“Prior to the last election Tony Abbott promised no cuts to health, now he wants to break this promise and force vulnerable West Australian patients to pay,” said Federal Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King.
WA Shadow Minister For Health Roger Cook said West Australians were doubly threatened by the cuts due to the failure of Premier Barnett to stand up to the Prime Minister.
“While other premiers have spoken out against the health cuts, Premier Barnett has given Tony Abbott the green light to slash our hospital funding and tax patients,” Mr Cook said.
“He described the $5.8 billion dollar cut to WA hospital funding as ‘brave’ and was the only leader who couldn’t be bothered to attend an emergency premiers meeting called to respond to the Budget cuts.”
Labor believes that all Australians should get the healthcare they need, not just the healthcare they can afford.
Australians shouldn’t have to foot the bill for Tony Abbott’s broken promises and twisted priorities and Colin Barnett’s failure to stand up for the state’s hospitals and patients.