GP Payroll Tax

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Health. Has the cost of seeing a GP increased or decreased under the Labor government? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: At the health services committee of 22 August, the AMA President, Dr John Williams, said that the GP payroll tax has increased the cost of seeing a GP by—and I quote: '$10 to $20 per consultation in general practice and usually much more than that in other specialist fields.'

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:45): I think the key issue in terms of availability of general practice was the decade-long freeze of the Medicare rebate under the previous federal Liberal government. For the previous federal government to freeze the Medicare rebate for a decade has put primary healthcare services in this country so far behind and made sure that it is harder for people to access a GP, harder for people to access, very importantly, a bulk-billed service of a GP, and made sure that as people get sicker they have no choice but to go to the emergency department.

We certainly are strong advocates for the important role that primary health care has. That's why the Treasurer, in terms of the negotiations he had in relation to payroll tax, has put in place the most generous of those arrangements that are in place. Particularly when you compare it to New South Wales, Victoria, and the ACT, our arrangements are much more generous in terms of bulk-billing, so that all of those bulk-billed services are now all covered and exempted under that package that the Treasurer has announced.

In addition, we appreciate the fact that the federal Labor government has now put the biggest investment in a decade into primary healthcare services as well, in terms of tripling the incentives for bulk-billed services, and that has helped somewhat. We have seen some increase in terms of the bulk-billing rate, but we will continue to advocate for more, because we know how important those primary healthcare services are for people right across the community and, of course, how important they are in terms of reducing pressure on hospital services.