Labor to start health attack in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's electorate      

Date
    March 26, 2016 
    Sydney Morning Herald

Labor is launching its pre-election attack on the Coalition's health record in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's electorate, where a health clinic for homeless people is set to close. 

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek will use a press conference at the Haymarket Foundation Clinic in Darlinghurst to highlight what Labor says is the Abbott government's $60 billion cuts to health over the next decade in 2014, and the Turnbull government's planned cuts to bulk-billing incentives for pathology and diagnostic imaging services.   

Health Minister Sussan Ley has defended the government's move to save $650 million over four years by cutting the incentives, saying they had not worked to significantly boost the rate of bulk-billing.


The clinic, which has received $900,000 in federal funding a year to provide medical, nursing and welfare services to about 1200 homeless people in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, is likely to close next month when a temporary extension to its current grant expires.


The Coalition announced it would stop funding health programme grants in 2014 after questions were raised on whether the practice was constitutional. This followed a High Court decision that the federal government did not have the constitutional power to directly fund school chaplains.

The clinic's chief executive officer Matt Flynn said the department of health had indicated the decision was a cost-saving measure.

Mr Flynn said he was concerned for their patients, who received help for wounds, mental health problems and chronic conditions such as diabetes and Hepatitis C, saying they had built trust in the homeless community over decades.

"A number of them tell us they won't go anywhere else," he said. "We know if they don't...and can't find a bulk-billing doctor they're going to end up in the emergency departments."   

Parties are in campaign mode following Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's announcement that he would call a double dissolution election on July 2 if the Senate did not pass the government's key industrial bills during a special parliamentary session in April.

Ms Plibersek said: "If Malcolm Turnbull can't stand up for important health services in his own backyard, he can't be trusted with Medicare."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has listed "protecting Medicare" as the first of five issues central to Labor's campaign, followed by "decent jobs, better schools, renewable energy and fairer tax."

It comes ahead of a meeting of federal, state and territory leaders next Friday on health funding and other issues. The Australian Medical Association has predicted public hospitals face a funding "black hole" next year, when it says they will become unable to meet rising demand.   

We cant all afford private health insurance.   

Ms Plibersek said: "If Malcolm Turnbull can't stand up for important health services in his own backyard, he can't be trusted with Medicare."   

We don't want an American type health system.   

Armchair_Politician wrote on Mar 26^th, 2016 at 11:05am:


What the Libs health policy? Apart from slashing and burning whilst still I repeat still increasing net debt and the budget deficit , all these saving measures and Australia is in a budget emergency, THATS DOUBLED under the Libtards tenure plus I repeat plus adding 60 billllllllllllllllllllllllllllion dollars of net debt , in less than 3 years , with no GFC

Its time wrote on Mar 26^th, 2016 at 11:13am:


How about you try again, this time with facts instead of lies?

Armchair_Politician wrote on Mar 26^th, 2016 at 11:16am:


Is that your default position when you know you cant debunk a single point of my post 

Swagman wrote on Mar 26^th, 2016 at 10:48am:

Homeless people more easily pick up disease: there are natural limits to how bad you want the homeless situation of any country to get!