JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you must be happy to see now Len Harris from One Nation, he';s also lending his support behind your MedicarePlus.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I welcome any support we can get from the independents. We need the support of the Senate to pass the new safety net. This safety net will protect Australian families and I hope that every Senator understands the desirability of giving added protection to Australian families, and that really is what is at stake. This package will give peace of mind to all Australian families, this package will provide further incentives for children and concession cardholders to be bulk billed, and this package will be therefore of considerable financial benefit to doctors as well.
JOURNALIST:
Is there any room for further negotiation with other Senators if you have to?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we have given a lot of thought to this package and a number of the measures in the package reflected the views that were put to us by the independents in relation to the safety net and by the Australian Democrats in relation to other aspects, so it is already a series of policies which reflects the views of other parties and other individuals in the Senate.
JOURNALIST:
So are you confident that you have enough support in the Senate…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I never make predictions like that. I always express the hope that we can gather support and we';ll wait and see what happens next week. But we do want the new policy voted on and resolved before Christmas. We';ve had a Senate inquiry, there has been a lot of debate over the last six or nine months, and it';s only reasonable to ask that the Senate make a decision before Christmas. And it would be a nice Christmas present to the families of Australia if this new safety net could be law before we close down for Christmas.
JOURNALIST:
Are you surprised at the reaction to the package?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I think the reaction was predictable. Those people who always criticise us – the Labor Party criticised us again, and they didn';t disappoint me. The rest of the community gave, I thought, a pretty constructive reaction.
JOURNALIST:
But the AMA sir has said that it doesn';t solve the long-term problems about the Medicare rebate.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I understand the AMA';s… the AMA';s view is that there should be a major increase across the board in the rebate. I understand that. Our view is that you should have a mixture of measures, and naturally the emphasis must be on providing support for Australian families. But we are giving an immediate and very significant increase in the rebate for bulk billing of children and concession cardholders, and those two groups together make up 62 per cent of all of the services delivered by GPs.
JOURNALIST:
So overall with Tony Abbott now in the health portfolio, do you think he';s really doing his best, is he, to solve the Medicare crisis?
PRIME MINISTER:
Tony Abbott is doing a very good job. But it';s a long process. We';ve listened to people and what we';ve put down is a response to the concerns that the Australian community expressed, and I express the hope that we will be able to give the families of Australia a Christmas present by passing this new safety net into law. Thank you.
[ends]