4,
iti J, STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE RON P J KEATING NP
DR HEWSON ATTEMPTS TO CON MIDDLE AUSTR& LIA
Last night Dr Howson attempted perhaps the most profound
deceit so far in his campaign to win office. In debating
-health care. he said the following:
OK, so you have to make a decision as to where you
cut off and at what point it is appropriate for
people to start to take out private Insurance. We
made the decision at $ 40,000 for a single and
$ 50,000 f or a couple on the grounds that at those
income levels they are getting very large taxc cuts
and if they have got kids they are getting a
doubling or a whatever their income level is, they
are either getting a doubling or a 50 per cent
increase in family allowances, We've got a lot of
money targeted into the system, but to make the
system work you've got to get people to take out
private insurance. He should be required to take it
out a" so should all the wealthy.
In truth, Fightback says that under Dr Hewson's so-called
" plan" faii16mFsQtith an income of $ 40-55,000 will receive
an increase in their Family Allowance of 6 per cent.
Families with a total ind6ie Wf_$ 55,000 or above will
have their Family Allowance abolished. Not doubled or
increased by 50 per cent as Dr Hewson said, but increased
by just 6 per cent or abolished altogether.
Only 15 per cent of families will have their Family
Allowance doubled under Dr Hewson's plan. 100,000
families will 1-a the allowance.
Or Hewson appears to believe that families with a
household income of S55,000 are wealthy. They will be
forced into private health insurance or pay a penalty of
$ 800 per annum. They will lose the Family Allowance.
And they will pay a 15 per cent CST.
Families in this-. middle income bracket would be
significantly worse off under the Coalition's so-called
. plan".
7018
It is a perfect example of the way in which their GST
package will attack Australian living standards and our
way of life and Dr Hewson'sa remarks last night are a
perfect example of the lengths they will go to in their
efforts to disguise this fact.
Dr Howson says he has a plan. It is the wrong plan. It
is not the plan he says it is. Everything Dr Hewson says
should be checked against the reality of his intentions
most of which can be found in Fightback Mark 1.
SYDNEY 8 March 1993 7019