Crossbench not keen over ‘stealth’ changes to bulk-billing

LABOR and the Greens have put the government on notice they will seek to unwind the revamped changes to bulk-billing.

LABOR and the Greens have put the government on notice they will seek to unwind the revamped changes to bulk-billing, ensuring a fresh parliamentary showdown on Medicare next year.

Bill Shorten yesterday accused Tony Abbott of attempting to wreck Medicare by stealth and trying to sneak in changes via regulation.

“This is not a backdown by the Abbott government, this is a GP tax that Tony Abbott can’t bring through your front door so he’s going to bring it through your back door,’’ he said.

The Prime Minister confirmed plans to reduce the Medicare rebate paid to GPs by $5 a visit — with the exception of children, pensioners and concession card holders — would be introduced via regulation.

Regulations can be disallowed in either house of parliament, and Labor and the Greens would need the support of only four crossbenchers to disallow the measure in the Senate. The right of GPs to pass on costs to patients via a voluntary upfront co-payment will require legislation and Labor is understood to be considering its position.

The government faces a test on the $5 rebate cut. “I would certainly expect, given what were the principle concerns expressed to us by the crossbenchers, I think it would be most surprising if the parliament were to take this rather extreme step of disallowing a Medicare regulation,’’ Mr Abbott said.

Greens health spokesman Richard Di Natale slammed the “cynical attack on Medicare’’ and vowed the Greens would “be moving a disallowance motion at the first available opportunity in the next parliament’’.

Palmer United Party Senate leader Glenn Lazarus tweeted: “Abbott Government dumps GP Co-payment for a GP Woe-payment. What a NASTY government!’’

Independent senator Nick Xenophon described the changes as a “passive aggressive backdown’’ but said he was open to discussions.

Family First senator Bob Day, who urged the government to exempt the most vulnerable patients from payment, said “to be clear, I don’t support this yet’’.

Independent senators Jacqui Lambie and John Madigan were both “deeply suspicious” of the changes, saying the “devil was in the detail’’.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s David Leyonhjelm said the changes were “good ideas” but the government “should’ve done it the first time”.