General Practitioner Payroll Tax

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. What does the government have to say to Dr Danny Byrne? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS:The Advertiser has published a letter to the editor from Dr Danny Byrne—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —immediate past president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, who says that the government's GP tax, and I quote:

…is just the stupidest health policy since Transforming Health…The modelling predicts a four per cent increase in ED attendance which would overwhelm an already stretched ED system.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:16): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. As we discussed yesterday during the course of question time and I am happy to reiterate, of course the government hasn't changed any policies in respect to our payroll tax regime. There has been no change to the law, no change to rules, no changes to regulations.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: No additional revenue?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That being said, I have taken the time to familiarise myself with the representations of Dr Byrne. I acknowledge his contribution, as I acknowledge all contributions from general practitioners throughout the state. We see primary health care as being a critical arm of the health system more broadly, and we want to work closely with general practitioners to make sure we are getting the desired outcomes. The Treasurer, naturally, has been engaging with the college representing general practitioners. I have spoken to the college myself, and I look forward to meeting them in the not too distant future.

The college, in my conversation with them this morning, which I was very grateful for, was very quick to acknowledge the work that the Treasurer has undertaken in establishing what has been a nation-leading reprieve for GPs, with a five-year amnesty regarding the arrangement, and putting in place a nation-leading approach in terms of how this situation will be addressed in South Australia in the medium term. This, of course, is in stark contrast to what we see in other jurisdictions in Australia and that is something that, again, the Royal College was keen to note with me on the phone just today.

As the Treasurer has committed, I think, on almost countless occasions now and I endorse, we as a government are very keen to continue to collaborate with the college representing general practitioners. I think it is well known amongst GPs, as it is well known amongst all health professions throughout the state, that this is a government, as is evidenced by the remarks just given by the health minister, that is making unprecedented investments in public health in South Australia—unprecedented investments. They leave governments before us in our wake in terms of the amount of effort, the amount of active dollars, the amount of new money that is being invested in infrastructure, being invested in clinical services, being invested in clinicians, in mental health, physical health, child health, every aspect of health, and emergency first responders in respect of health. Every single element has got more new money from this government.

I think that GPs appreciate that. They also understand that their place in the system is essentially entirely governed by the commonwealth, being a primary health care delivery agency, which is why we know they have been grateful for, again, a Labor government, this time of a federal context, seeking to ameliorate the serious impact that a freezing of the GP rebate had, which those opposite have been silent about for a very long time.

So we will continue to work with the college. I look forward to that ongoing productive relationship continuing into the future and I look forward to meeting them in the coming days and weeks.