Crook to oppose Private Health Insurance Rebate means test
Posted on Monday, 6 February 2012
NATIONALS WA Federal Member for O’Connor, Tony Crook MP, has announced he will not support the Labor Government’s proposal to means test the Private Health Insurance Rebate when it is put forward in Parliament this week.
Mr Crook has condemned the Labor Government for continuing to push forward with this legislation while regional Western Australians are forced to go without a doctor.
“I can’t believe we are even having a conversation around the Private Health Insurance means test while we have 92 regional doctor vacancies in the State of Western Australia alone.”
A former National Chairman of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Mr Crook said addressing the doctor shortage and other regional health issues had been his top priority since the 2010 Federal Election.
“For almost two years now I have tried to convince the Labor Government of the need to support regional health in Western Australia,” Mr Crook said.
“While I appreciate that there is no silver bullet to resolving this issue, I am not convinced the Labor Government has addressed this issue with the urgency it demands.
“I would have liked to see the Labor Government reinvest the considerable savings from the Private Health Insurance Means Test back into regional health.”
Mr Crook said the Liberal Party should also be doing more to advance the issue.
“The Liberal Party has considerable weight in Western Australia – with 11 sitting members and six senators representing Western Australia in Canberra.
“Why have the Liberals not done more to improve regional health in Western Australia?
“It is because the Liberals sit in an Eastern State’s dominated Party room with an Eastern State’s dominated party line – as clearly evidenced by my Private Member’s Motion on GST returns – and as such, they are unable to represent the best interests of their home state.”
Mr Crook said both Parties must accept responsibility for the poor state of WA’s health system.
“This issue didn’t develop overnight – consecutive Governments on both sides have contributed to the chronic neglect of regional health.”