Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Payroll tax

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Premier. Earlier today several colleagues and I met with the Victorian general practitioners who stated that ‘bulk-billing in Victoria cannot survive’ the Andrews government’s health tax grab. How many Victorian patients will lose the opportunity for bulk-billing as a direct result of the government’s tax on health?

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:12): Firstly, can I indicate to the Leader of the Opposition that when it comes primary care our government has instituted the most comprehensive program of delivering primary care despite the fact that primary care is not –

John Pesutto interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

Daniel ANDREWS: Again, the Leader of the Opposition has asked the question and has no interest in listening to the answer. The point that I was about to make was that our government, through the opening of 27 priority primary care clinics – this just goes to the point that the government has a very clear record in relation to supporting access to bulk-billing services.

A member interjected.

Daniel ANDREWS: These clinics operate – well, we are seeing them now – with more than 100,000 Victorians receiving bulk-billing services that were not offered by Medicare –

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Premier was asked how many patients will lose access to bulk-billing as a result of the government’s health tax.

The SPEAKER: Order! A point of order is not an opportunity to repeat the question. The Premier was being relevant to the question.

Daniel ANDREWS: As I was saying, these clinics operate in 27 different locations. They operate 16 hours a day, seven days a week. They are completely free to everyone who comes through those doors. They are rolled out by this government because the fact is that bulk-billing rates in this state are not where they should be and at the end of the day –

John Pesutto interjected.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

Daniel ANDREWS: We will come to the Leader of the Opposition’s new-found interest in bulk-billing rates in just a moment. There is nothing like a convert – late to the party but you are wearing your hat. You are here. The Leader of the Opposition is late to the party, but he has finally arrived.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, can you bring the Premier back to the question about bulk-billing rates and this health tax?

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Daniel ANDREWS: As I was saying –

John Pesutto interjected.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, if you want the Premier to respond to your question, I expect you would want to hear the answer.

Daniel ANDREWS: No, you ask the question, then you interject, then I respond to the interjection and you get up and do a point of order. This is apparently leadership. No wonder you are in some trouble. No wonder the Leader of the Opposition is in some trouble.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, you have ruled, and I would ask you to refer the Premier back to your ruling.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will come back to answering the question.

Daniel ANDREWS: As I was saying, the government very strongly supports the provision of bulk-billing services. Of course these are matters for the Commonwealth government, and it is I think very challenging to have any sort of discussion about bulk-billing without referring to the fact that for nine long years we had a federal government that ripped billions and billions and billions of dollars out of primary care – and they were cheered along by the likes of the member for Hawthorn.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, there were many representatives of general practice in the Parliament this morning. They deserve an answer about what effect the health tax will have on bulk-billing, because your health tax will do more to smash bulk-billing than any other measure of any other government.

The SPEAKER: Order! That is not the correct way to raise a point of order.

Daniel ANDREWS: If it is the Leader of the Opposition’s submission that the SRO’s ruling will be more significant than, for instance, nine years and almost $4 billion ripped out by someone’s friends in Canberra – (Time expired)

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): General practitioners also advised that the Andrews government’s backdated health tax grab will force over 30 per cent of Victorian clinics to the point of bankruptcy. Is it government policy to leave hundreds of thousands of Victorians without a doctor?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The question has been asked. I expect members to listen to the answer.

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:17): Clearly the government is about more patients receiving bulk-billing services. That is why we are running 27 clinics when this is not in any way the responsibility of the Victorian government or any state government. Again, what the Leader of the Opposition wants and what is actually happening are two different things. The notion that anyone is taking lectures from those who were nothing but a cheer squad for Greg Hunt – remember him?

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this was an important question about industry’s concerns about a 30 per cent reduction in the industry as a result of the health tax, and I would ask you to bring the Premier back to the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier was being relevant to the question.

Daniel ANDREWS: The question was about bulk-billing; apparently it is an industry policy matter now. I am not quite sure what the member for Brighton is on about, but in any event this government –

John Pesutto interjected.

Daniel ANDREWS: Well, we are not taking lectures from the likes of the Leader of the Opposition, who was a cheerleader for Greg Hunt and Scott Morrison when they destroyed bulk-billing in this country. You are late to the party, and everyone knows it.