PM Transcripts

PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 19 February 1984
The Prime Minister said today that Queensland taxpayers would
be forced to foot the bill for Mr Bjelke-Petersen's bloodyminded
refusal to sign the Medicare agreement. Queenslanders
who have kept some private insurance are already paying an
extra $ 1.10 a week because of Mr Bjelke-Petersen's folly.
The Queeensland Government cannot stand the loss of $ 6 million
a month in Medicare funding, and they will soon be forced to
significantly increase State Taxes if they persist in not
signing. I have left the door open for Mr Bjelke-Petersen to sign now
without financial penalty to the State, but if he doesn't
reconsider shortly then Queensland will lose out just as it
did in 1975. Mr Bjelke-Petersen signed two months late then
and Queensland lost $ 14 million because of the delay.
Mr Bjelke-Petersen claims he is fighting for a better deal
for Queensland, but his track record is very bad when it comes
to health funding. As well as his 1975 fiasco, there was
scarcely a whimper when Mr Fraser reduced Queensland's health
grant by$ 100 million a year in 1981. When my Government offers
a $ 73 million annual increase in hospital funding he refuses
because he claims it isn't enough.
The Queensland Government concedes that it will be better off
under Medicare. The simple truth is that Mr Bjelke-Petersen
is playing politics at the expense of the Queensland taxpayer.
As many Queenslanders have already found, Medicare is of substantial
benefit to the average person, and Mr Bjelke-Petersen also knows
that it will be of great benefit to State Government finances.
He may think that he can squeeze more money out of the Federal
Government through this bluff, butI have examined the situation
thoroughly and I am sure that Queensland is receiving
a fair and reasonable deal. If the State Government thinks
differently it can take the matter to the Grants Commission,
but it is now time for Mr Bjelke-Petersen to reconsider and sign
before all Queenslanders suffer unnecessarily as a result of
his actions.