Child Care cap, Medicare & Private Health Insurance Simon Crean - Leader of the Opposition

Doorstop Interview

Transcript - Bribie Island - 31 October 2003

JOURNALIST: Mr Crean, what do you think about the federal government's promises to lift the cap on childcare?

CREAN: It's a hollow promise because they haven't funded it and they haven't costed it. Everyone knows there are huge shortfalls in the number of child care places. The Government has done nothing about it. The minister has come out and said they are prepared to lift them sometime next year - presumably after the next election - and yet there is no money to show how they can fund the increase in places that would come when the caps were lifted.

JOURNALIST: What was your response to the report that was released today and in particular do you think it vindicates Labor's criticism of the Howard Government?

CREAN: The Senate report released today is a damning indictment on the Howard Government's policy on Medicare. Clearly the report shows that if the Howard Government's policy was implemented bulk billing rates would fall below 50% and the cost of going to a doctor will increase by 50%. Both ways the consumer and the patient is being slugged. They just won't be able to afford to go to a doctor.

What the report also says is that Labor's plan will see bulk billing rates lifted to up over 80% and the costs of going to a doctor will come down. Given that, you would have to adopt Labor's plan. We will persist with it, we hope the Government does but we know it won't. So at the next election we will give people the real opportunity to save bulk billing and end the crisis in our hospitals.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]…have said that you will cut the Private Health Rebate…?

CREAN: This is a furphy by the Government. They have nothing else to run with and so they go round saying – because they can't manage Labor's positive proposal which has gained a lot of support because it has been shown to work – so they go round saying that Labor is going to cut the Private Health Rebate. I've ruled out dropping the Private Health Rebate time and time again. I've consistently said that when you are spending so much money on it you've got to constantly look at where the savings can be obtained through it, how the money can be spent better. But I am absolutely committed to keeping the Private Health Rebate.

JOURNALIST: But you may change it in some ways?

CREAN: We spend $60 billion in total on health in this country. That's $30 billion by the Commonwealth and rising with the Private Health Rebate. Governments have always got to look at how better it can spend that sort of money. The country demands it and the health system demands it.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

CREAN: Again, the scare campaign of the Government. Why don't they focus on what they're doing to bulk billing and what they are doing to our hospital system instead of trying to run a scare campaign?