Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas must take the advice of her federal Labor counterpart Mark Butler and scrap the unfair Health Tax.
The federal Health Minister said making it easier to visit a doctor was his biggest priority and changes to payroll tax would result in billions of dollars of Commonwealth money going into state treasury offices.
Mr Butler said: “I urge them (the states) to consider the feedback of GPs. It’s encouraging, though, that some states have announced amnesties to support their GPs.”
Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier, said: “If Mary-Anne Thomas won’t listen to GPs, will she at least listen to her own Labor colleagues who are telling her this tax is a bad idea and needs to be scrapped?
“If Labor doesn’t act, it will close clinics and see the end of bulk billing, drive up the cost of visiting a doctor for patients, and put more pressure on our already struggling Emergency Departments.
“The Allan Labor Government needs to follow the advice of Mark Butler and the lead of other states and abolish this unfair tax now before it causes pain to all Victorians.”
