Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to a petition signed by 8,139 people to save Medicare. The petition has been assessed as meeting the requirements of the House by the Standing Committee on Petitions. This petition draws to the House's attention deep community concerns on proposed changes to Medicare through the Abbott government's 2014-16 federal budget. Notably, the $7 co-payment for GP visits, blood tests and x-rays will mean that families and pensioners will pay more for their health care. Currently, over 93 per cent of GP services in the Scullin electorate are bulk-billed. Petitioners are asking the House to oppose the budget measure of a $7 co-payment and take urgent steps to reject Tony Abbott's plan to end universal bulk-billing.

These calls must be heeded. This petition demonstrates how important universal health care is to people in the electorate of Scullin and in electorates right around Australia. These petitioners—more than 8,000 of them, with many more petitions still arriving at my office—are asking members opposite essentially to do one simple thing: to keep their promise of no cuts to health and to stand up for their communities and to stand up for universal health care, which is the bedrock of the Australia Labor members are proud to fight for in this place.