Politicians as a group might frequently bend the truth, but this ‘gotcha’ moment on projected bulk billing figures is not an example of that.
In an appearance on 2GB earlier this week, opposition health spokesman Anne Ruston accused the Prime Minister of lying to the public about the anticipated levels of bulk billing that Labor’s record $7.9 billion Medicare investment would achieve.
To be specific, she said he was “starting to look a bit more like a snake oil salesman than the Prime Minister” and that “it’s just incredible that this government would lie about something as important as health”.
This would be huge news… if it were actually true.
During her radio interview, Ms Ruston and host Mark Levy referenced reporting by The Australian which itself referenced the incoming government brief prepared by Department of Health, Disability and Ageing secretary Blair Comley released under the Freedom of Information Act.
More specifically, The Australian reported on advice included in the briefing which estimated that around 23% of practices were unlikely to sign up for the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Payment; in other words, that around 77% of general practices were expected to sign on and convert to universal bulk billing.
The BBPIP is a separate initiative to the bulk billing incentive, which itself will be extended to cover all Australians.
Where Ms Ruston and Mr Levy appear to be mistaken is that not participating in the BBPIP does not preclude a GP from bulk billing.
Since the initiative was announced in February, the government has maintained that the combined initiatives would see GP bulk billing levels rise to 90% and Health Minister Mark Butler has maintained that the majority of GP practices across the country would be better off switching to universal bulk billing.
At no point has anyone claimed that the BBPIP alone would boost GP bulk billing to 90%.
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Speaking to 4BC on Wednesday, Mr Butler pointed out that Labor’s election promises on Medicare had been matched by the coalition.
“There’s been some sort of really bizarre reporting of this over the last 24 hours … in the media release where I announced this policy with the Prime Minister, I said basically three quarters of general practices will be better off under our arrangements; a quarter might not be, we don’t expect them necessarily to take it up,” the Health Minister said.
“And yet, some media commentators who’ve looked at the department’s incoming government brief after the election have taken a view this is some extraordinary sort of Watergate-style revelation.”
He went on to interrupt host Peter Fegan.
“They [the coalition] backed the policy,” Mr Butler said.
“Are they suggesting they didn’t even read the media release that I issued about the policy?”
The Health Minister held firm that the 90% GP bulk billing figure was achievable.
“We’re going to get into a maths argument here, Peter, but if 75% [of GPs] are saying ‘we’ll do 100% bulk billing’, and then 25% are saying ‘we’ll do something less than that’, they’re not saying they’ll do none, but they’re saying they won’t bulk bill 100%,” Mr Butler said.
“If Gina Rinehart comes through their front door, they’re not going to bulk bill her.
“But they’ll bulk bill pensioners, they’ll probably bulk bill kids. That’s how we got to the 90% figure.
“The report published by the department reflects exactly the policy we announced in February.
“How the Liberal Party, including Sussan Ley and Anne Ruston the Shadow Health Minister, missed this detail, given it was on page one of the policy before they committed to supporting it fully, is sort of extraordinary to me.”
This week marked the first parliamentary sittings since the May election.
