Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has seized on a comment by the Treasurer that people could soon live until they are 150, describing it as Joe Hockey’s “Sarah Palin” moment.
Mr Hockey made the comments on Monday while arguing the case for budget cuts and to explain why Australians should pay more for their health care.
“It is kind of remarkable that somewhere in the world today, it is highly probable, a child has been born who will live to be 150,” he told Fairfax Radio.
“That is a long time. They would have said 100 years ago that living to 80 or 90 was a long time; the question is how do we live with dignity.”
Mr Shorten ridiculed the claim while campaigning in Brisbane, and said Mr Hockey had had a “brain snap”.
“He’s almost had what I’d call his Sarah Palin moment. ‘I can see Russia from my house’,” Mr Shorten said.
“This proposition to justify his 2014 budget based on a not-yet-born baby’s 150th birthday in a century-and-a-half’s time, just shows that I suspect our Treasurer’s simply lost the plot.”
Health Minister Sussan Ley last week dumped the Government’s contentious plan to cut the rebate for short GP consultations and announced she would start a fresh round of consultation on changes to Medicare.
According to News Corp reports, Mr Hockey and former health minister Peter Dutton opposed the rebate cut from the start but were overruled by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Asked on Fairfax Radio Monday morning whether that report was accurate, Mr Hockey said he was “not going to engage in discussion on gossip”.
“We made a decision, a unanimous decision, we hear what the doctors are saying, we hear what the medical professionals are saying,” Mr Hockey said.
“Sussan Ley is going to be speaking with everyone concerned. We are going to make sure that Medicare is sustainable.”
Mr Hockey said he supported the policy but acknowledged it would have had “bad ramifications” had it been implemented.
Medicare must be ‘sustainable’: Hockey
The Government is standing by its plan to introduce a $5 GP co-payment, although Ms Ley has indicated she would be open to “refining” the policy.
Mr Hockey said the Government was determined to make Medicare sustainable and said those who could afford to be paying more to see a doctor should do so.
“Over the New Year’s break my little boy broke his foot,” Mr Hockey said.
“This is not uncommon for families. He is five years of age.
“You take him to the hospital, go to see the specialist, get the X-rays, get the cast.
“The only contribution I made, and I earn a lot of money as Treasurer, was $40 cash to get a waterproof cast. That was it.”
Mr Hockey said that was “inherently wrong” and that he should be making a contribution.
“Even though I pay a lot of tax, even though I pay the Medicare levy, that does not cover the growing cost of Medicare and that is what we have got to do,” he said.
The 2 per cent Medicare levy raises about $10 billion dollars a year which covers about half the total cost of Medicare.
Ms Ley previously described the levy as “hopelessly inadequate” but Mr Hockey said his Government was not inclined to raise it.