FEDERAL Health Minister Peter Dutton says the government still has a long way to go to get its budget measures through, but is hopeful a proposed GP co-payment won’t fall victim to negotiations with crossbenchers.
DISCUSSIONS about the co-payment with the Australian Medical Association and other key medical bodies had focused on “who’s in and who’s out” rather than on the proposed $7 fee, he said.
Mr Dutton said $7 was quite modest when compared with countries like New Zealand and discussions with senators over the budget measure had so far been productive and optimistic. “I’m hopeful the government can do a deal in relation to the GP co-payment,” he told ABC radio on Monday. “If we don’t, Medicare will collapse under its own weight.” Labor is calling for the government to go back to the drawing board on the budget, while the coalition says it’s prepared to make an “adjustment here and an adjustment there”. The government is considering concessions on the GP co-payment, university fees deregulation and measures attached to the mining tax to get its budget through the Senate, amid opposition from Labor, the Greens and key crossbenchers. Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop urged compromise with the Senate, saying if the crossbenchers have constructive suggestions to make, “we should consider them”. She denied the government had failed to sell the budget and said the coalition had moved on from Treasurer Joe Hockey’s damaging “poor-people-don’t-own-cars” comment. “It’s always going to be difficult to sell a budget in the first term,” she told ABC radio. “Previous governments have found that difficult and we didn’t ever think it was going to be easy with this budget.” She also said it was “early days” in the government’s efforts to get its budget through parliament. “I know budget measures have taken years to get through in previous governments,” she said.