Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller said if the Premier and Lawrence Springborg are fair dinkum about standing up for Queenslanders they would condemn Tony Abbott’s $7 GP tax.
“The last thing low income earners and the elderly need is a tax on seeing the doctor,” Mrs Miller said.
“Tony Abbott’s great big new GP tax will drive patients away from primary health care and straight into already overloaded emergency departments.
“It could force patients away from health care all together, until it gets too late.
“What’s to stop the $7 rising to $10 in a few years, or go even higher over time? There are also increased fees for prescriptions and out-of-hospital x-rays and pathology.
“These are all double-whammies on top of the Newman Government’s plans to Americanise our state health system so private operators put profits before patients.
“The Abbott and Newman Governments are trashing Australia’s universal health care system, something that is rightly the envy of the world.
“Worst of all, just like Campbell Newman, the Prime Minister didn’t breathe a word about it during the last election campaign. In fact, he promised no new taxes.
“Campbell Newman and Lawrence Springborg should be telling the Prime Minister that Queenslanders won’t cop his great big new GP tax.”
Mrs Miller said Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey were intent on doing a demolition job on the public health system.
“The harsh reality of this budget is that Medicare bulk billing is gone, health reform agreed by all states and territories is demolished, funding to the states for hospitals is slashed and promises are broken.
“Queensland will suffer, along with the rest of the states, with the Abbott Government pulling back from its commitment to increase public hospital funding, indexing funding to a combination of growth in the consumer price index and population, from 2017-18. Funding will no longer be based on how many procedures need to be done.
“Lawrence Springborg must immediately explain how this will impact Queensland public hospitals, both in dollar terms and service cuts.
“If Tim Nicholls can claim to forecast budget conditions for the next 10 years, then the health minister can be upfront and explain how the Abbott LNP Government’s cuts will inflict serious damage on Queensland’s public hospitals.”
Jo-Ann Miller
Source: annastaciapalaszczukmp.com.au