Health Minister Mark Butler has distanced himself from a decision by the ACT Labor government to levy a public hospital tax on Canberra households, which the federal opposition says violates the principle of universal healthcare.
In a horror budget handed down on Wednesday, ACT Treasurer Chris Steel hit the territory’s 400,000 residents with more than $500 million in new and increased taxes to try to cover spending and cost blowouts, but still handed down a record deficit of $1.1 billion.