Stop the mental health blowout, says Labor MP
Freelander, who is expected to be reinstalled as chairman of a parliamentary health committee during the Albanese government's second term, said too many claims lacked an evidence-base, which meant many people were being over-compensated.
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Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Dr Nick Coatsworth points out three 'major flaws' with Labor's $8.5 billion Medicare investment
Labor's $8.5 billion investment in Medicare has been crucified by a prominent doctor, who has pinpointed some of the major "flaws" with the bill. The massive commitment to Medicare was announced prior to Labor's election victory, and pledged to deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year. "For the first time, Labor will expand bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient," a statement from Health Minister Mark Butler read earlier this year. "This will mean 9 out of 10 GP visits will be bulk billed by 2030, boosting the number of fully bulk billed practices to around 4,800 nationally – triple the current number." It was reported by The Australian that the Department of Health, Ageing and Disability told Mr Butler that about a quarter of GPs are not expected to take up the government's new incentive scheme designed to boost bulk-billing rates. Former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said this revelation was a "major concern" and indicated how the policy was "flawed". "This was likely known by the Department of Health and Labor before the election. It raises a fundamental democratic question about whether the public servants involved disclosed what they knew about the program to the Coalition," he told "Either the Department's modelling was flawed and they have since amended it, or they knew the policy was flawed and failed to disclose it. Either way, it's a major concern." As he continued to come down on the policy, he told there were "three major design flaws" with it. "There are three major design flaws. Firstly, the remuneration is inadequate for GPs who are not bulk-billing to make the switch," he said. "Secondly, it rewards shorter consultations which patients and doctors have been frustrated with for many years. "Finally, and most importantly, the taxpayer must increase payments to doctors who are already bulk-billing, but with few doctors actually switching, it will be billions of wasted dollars." After urging the Coalition to "fight" against Labor's "Mediscare campaigning" and describing the bulk-billing solution as "more theatre than reform" in Quadrant magazine, Dr Coatsworth launched another attack on Labor's election campaign and the direction they're taking Medicare. "Nothing at all has progressed," he said. "To win an election Albanese and Butler have cemented Medicare in the 1970s and failed to adapt to the new realities of ageing and chronic disease that require a different funding model."
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
What does lifting trade restrictions on US beef mean for Australia?
It might not be on our plates or menus just yet, but US beef has been a hot topic of conversation across the nation after this week's decision to lift import restrictions that had been in place for more than two decades. Australia banned beef imports from the US in 2003 after the fatal neurological disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, was discovered in American cattle. The blanket ban was lifted in 2019, however restrictions remained on beef that was sourced from Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the US, amid concerns it could carry the disease. "The Americans were unwilling to … do the traceability work to make sure that beef that was coming to Australia wasn't actually rebranded from somewhere else," veterinarian and former NSW Farmers Association president, James Jackson, said. "We don't want foot and mouth disease in this country, we don't want our consumers to eat beef and get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is the disease you get from eating cattle with mad cow disease." While some in the industry were optimistic that lifting the restrictions would open up trade opportunities for Australian producers, others raised concerns that Australia's biosecurity could be compromised. The federal government said the move was the result of a decade-long biosecurity review that found more robust movement controls had been introduced in the US. "The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said. "The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity." Nationals leader David Littleproud questioned the timing of the decision, saying it looked as though it was a trade to appease US President Donald Trump. The biosecurity restrictions on beef imports from the United States were one of the key grievances that led the Trump administration to impose tariffs on Australia. Red Meat Advisory Council chair John McKillop said while the decision may have been pushed through "slightly quicker" than expected, he was confident it was the result of a long-running assessment. Global AgriTrends analyst Simon Quilty said the risk of US beef imports introducing diseases to Australia was now much lower. "They have improved their traceability methods within America and I think, in all honesty, that the degree of risk is significantly low," he said. Mr McKillop said any risk would also be mitigated by the limited amount of beef Australia was likely to import from the US. "They have the lowest beef herd in 70 years in the US at the moment [due to drought]," he said. "The most [beef] that was ever brought in, and this was pre-BSE … was 210 tonnes … in contrast to the 395,000 tonnes we exported to the US last year." Mr McKillop said the US was also experiencing near-record beef and cattle prices, and it was unlikely Australians would want to pay high prices for their product. While the amount of beef coming into Australia from the US may be limited, Mr Jackson said there could be a market for it. "There may be some lines [of product] come into Australia, people who want to sell American beef on a restaurant menu or something like that," he said. Mr Jackson said Australia must be open to accepting American beef if it wanted to maintain a trade relationship with the US. "Part of a trade deal is that you're willing to take product from other countries," he said. "Are we happy with Australian consumers eating American beef? Well, probably we're not that happy, but the reality is that if you trade, you've got to be happy to take other people's product as well." The trade restriction on US beef has been a key grievance for the Trump administration, which placed a 10 per cent tariff on all Australian imports earlier this year. Professor Ben Lyons, from the University of Southern Queensland's Rural Economies Centre of Excellence, said it was difficult to know how the move would impact that tariff. "Nothing would surprise us at the moment because that's the new paradigm under the Trump administration — full of surprises," he said. Dr Lyons said he was confident the Australian beef industry would maintain a strong export market, regardless of US-imposed tariffs. "If past performance is the best indicator of the future, we always seem to find a way with our export markets," he said. "Even the announcement of this tariff on Australian beef at the beginning of the year hasn't really had any economic impact as yet on our exports. "I think we should just carry on calmly and do what we do best. I don't really see this as being a long-term issue for Australian agriculture."
West Australian
4 days ago
- West Australian
Clinics axed as mental health patients count cost
Public psychology services could soon become more stretched as Australia's largest private hospital operator says it will close the majority of its mental health clinics. The announcement comes as new government data shows more people are delaying treatment for mental illness due to financial pressures. Ramsay Health Care will shut 17 of its 20 psychology clinics across the nation by the end of August to create a "more flexible and sustainable model" of mental health care. The largest private provider of psychology services, Ramsay says there will be no change to inpatient mental health services at their facilities. "We are working closely with our psychologists to ensure every client is supported and has continuity of care," the company said in a statement. Clinics in Cairns, Charlestown in NSW and Joondalup in WA will remain open. The mass closures come as the government mental health body reveals more patients are putting off mental health treatment because of financial concerns. The National Mental Health Commission Report Card for 2024, released on Thursday, says 24.6 per cent of people either delayed or did not see a psychologist or psychiatrist due to cost, up from 12 per cent in 2020/21. Financial stress is also an increasing cause of mental illness, with the report showing the rate of people finding it "difficult to cope" on their income doubling to 34 per cent from November 2020. The rising rates of people struggling with their mental health as a result of cost-of-living pressures has led to opposition calls for the federal government to make mental health a "national priority". "This government has cut Medicare mental health funding in half," opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said in a statement. "The Albanese government has completely neglected mental health and suicide prevention over the last three years." Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Minister for Mental Health Emma McBride have been contacted for comment.
