Page 346 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 1993
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Goods and Services Tax - Health Care
MR LAMONT: My question is directed to the Minister for Health. Is the Minister able to advise the Assembly of any advice he has received on the implementation of a goods and services tax on health care?
MR BERRY: I am pleased that Mr Lamont has asked me the question because it raises an issue that turned up in the Australian on 19 February in relation to the GST. Dr Hewson has said, and we have to take him at face value, I suppose - we would normally hope that we could take him at face value - that there will be no GST on health care. His advisers are suggesting the opposite. The Cole committee is described by the Australian as an independent body that advises the coalition on GST planning. That committee has implored the coalition to impose the full 15 per cent GST on private health services, medicines and medical equipment, and then pay a cash rebate to patients. They want people who cannot afford it to pay up front and then to go through the process of getting the money back. Dr Hewson has amongst his armoury of plans other secret agendas, so I would not be surprised in the least to see this as one of those matters which would be proceeded with after an election.
We saw on the Four Corners program last night how the dries, or the New Right, have infiltrated the Liberal Party and are driving the Liberal Party as they proceed through this election campaign. There is no chance that the Liberals would be able to sell the policies of the dries, the New Right, to the electorate of Australia, so they have to have hidden agendas. Just take the industrial relations activities of Mr Howard. Mr Howard clearly has a hidden agenda. He has said, "I will not expose my legislation on industrial relations. I will keep it until after the election". I say to Mr Howard, "If you cannot give us your legislation, give us your drafting instructions. We will have a look at them". Then we will find out what the real agenda is.
The same applies to the GST on health services. This mob support a Hewson approach, which will mean fewer health services for the people of the ACT. We know that. Those opposite bleat, "Oh no; Dr Hewson has said that he will keep Medicare". I will tell you what he will keep, as one of the Labor candidates has already said. He will keep the name and the levy. That is all he will keep. He will gut it. There will be nothing left. It will be just a shell. The name and the levy are all that Hewson will keep. He will not keep all of the great support that has been developed for the community in Australia by Medicare.
"Our preferred approach is that services other than those subsidised under the Medicare system ought to be subject to GST at the standard rate, with a rebate of GST payable to the patient through a system similar to Medicare", is what - - -
Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: You earlier referred the Opposition to the standing orders. I note that the Minister, in response to this dorothy dixer, has a very long prepared answer which could only be considered as a ministerial statement. I submit that it is out of order in terms of question time.
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