Fed gov fails test on health

Date: 15 May 2002

The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) calls on the Federal government to stop punishing Australian's with disabilities and the low paid for its policy mistakes.

QCU Assistant General Secretary Chris Barrett said the QCU is dismayed at the Federal Government's approach to health care in the Budget released yesterday.

"The government included an Intergenerational Report to show that Australia faced significant funding problems in the future in the health care sector," Mr Barrett said.

"They have used this report to justify cuts in welfare payments to the disabled and cuts to the PBS," he said.

"The government's piecemeal approach places a significant burden on those Australians with the least capacity to pay," he said.

"The greatest single threat to the government's health revenue is the continuation of the 30% rebate to private health insurance," he said.

"The rebate is an unsustainable government liability which puts a drain on the public purse for ideological rather than good public policy reasons," he said.

"This money should be re-directed to putting money back into Medicare," he said.

"Once again, low paid workers are footing the bill for the Federal government," he said.

"It is time for the government to show leadership and admit that the rebate was a policy mistake costing the economy billions," he said.

"Medicare should be the cornerstone of public health policy now and in the future," Mr Barrett said.

For further information

Contact:	Liz Phillips
Union:	Queensland Council of Unions
Phone:	07 3846 2468
Contact Mobile:	0407 624 475
Email:	lizp@qcu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.qcu.asn.au

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