Catherine King

Catherine King

CATHERINE KING MP
Federal Member Ballarat
Shadow Minister Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development

T (03) 5338 8123
Email: Catherine.King.MP@aph.gov.au

Catherine King MP
<strong>Electorate Office</strong><br>5 Lydiard Street North<br>Ballarat, VIC 3350<br><br><strong>Bacchus Marsh</strong><br>(every Friday from 10am to 3pm)<br>Lerderderg Library<br>Geoffrey Hine Room<br>215 Main Street<br>Bacchus Marsh, VIC 3340

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Monday, 23 May 2016 / Published in MEDIA

TURNBULL CABINET SPLITS ON HEALTH CUTS

The Turnbull Government&rsquo;s Health policy is now in tatters with the Minister for Health today confirming she opposes her own Government&rsquo;s six year freeze on Medicare rebates for GPs.

In a devastating indictment of the Turnbull Government&rsquo;s health cuts, the Minister for Health, Sussan Ley today told ABC Radio National:

I said to doctors I want that freeze lifted as soon as possible but I appreciate Finance and Treasury aren’t allowing me to do it just yet.
[ABC RADIO NATIONAL, 23 MAY 2016]

The Minister&rsquo;s attack on the Medicare freeze comes a day after she also contradicted Mr Turnbull on her Government&rsquo;s plan to hike prescription prices by $5 for general patients and 80 cents for concession card holders:

JOURNALIST: Do you plan to still have a $5 increase in the co-payment for general patients, 80 cents for concessional patients, and an increase in the PBS Safety net?
LEY: We will look at the policies after the election and I certainly recognise that in the medicine space, there are difficult decisions to make about the payments for medicines.&rdquo;
[MELBOURNE DOORSTOP, 22 MAY 2016]

JOURNALIST: No change on medicines, Prime Minister? They’ll pay more under you?
TURNBULL: The co-payments with respect to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as set out, we are committed to, yes. There is no change to that.
[SYDNEY DOORSTOP, 22 MAY 2016]

The Health Minister&rsquo;s open revolt confirms the Turnbull Government&rsquo;s health policy is now in tatters.

The Health Minister is now openly backing Labor&rsquo;s plans to end the Liberals&rsquo; GP Tax by stealth, and the Turnbull Government&rsquo;s plans to slug patients with higher prices for prescriptions.

Only a Shorten Labor Government will restore indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule from 1 January 2017.

Only a Shorten Labor Government will reverse Mr Turnbull&rsquo;s cuts which will reduce bulk-billing and hit Australian families every time they visit the doctor.

Only a Shorten Labor Government will ensure all Australians will continue to have access to affordable medicines. This will protect access for the most vulnerable &ndash; the poor, elderly and sick &ndash; who would be the worst hit by the Liberals&rsquo; plans to cut the PBS.

The Liberals&rsquo; assault on Medicare and universal health care must stop.

All Australians should be able to access health care when and where they need it. Today&rsquo;s events reinforce that only Labor can be trusted to make this happen.

Tagged under: 2016

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© Catherine King. Authorised by Catherine King, Australian Labor Party, Canberra

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