Labour candidate for Lyne has said Patients across the entire community, will be slugged with a GP co-payment by stealth due to the Turnbull Government’s decision to freeze the Medicare rebate.

Peter Alley, Country Labor Candidate for Lyne told News Of The Area, “From July 1, Australians will be forced to reach for the credit card rather than their Medicare card when they visit the GP.

“The deep $650 million cut to health confirmed in last night’s budget also means the cost of prescriptions will rise by $5. Routine pregnancy tests, blood tests, pathology, pap smears, X-rays and MRIs will also attract a higher cost,” he said.

“Last weeks election budget was all about the re-election of Malcolm Turnbull’s Government. It had nothing to do with healthcare and hospitals in Wauchope, Taree, Forster/Tuncurry, Gloucester or the Dungog community,” Mr Alley said.

“Under this budget, pregnant women and people with life-threatening illness will feel the shock of unexpected, higher charges when they least expect it, at the doctor’s surgery.”

Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie said more funding for aged care continued to provide the elderly with home care and residential care options while also providing a major boost to local employment.

“Aged care has increased over the past 2½ years from $90-million a year to $105-million a year and thanks to the sustainable reforms announced as part of this budget, our aged care sector will continue to grow and remain strong as we invest an extra $249-million to improve the aged care sector,” Dr Gillespie said.

Dr Gillespie said this Budget is a real game changer for employment and for small business.

“The Coalition Government would invest in a new $840-million Youth Employment Package including a Youth Bonus wage subsidy to give business stronger incentives and greater flexibility in hiring job seekers under the age of 25 years including subsidies of between $6,500 and $10,000.”

“I have visited and spoken to many small business owners in my electorate and listened to some of their ideas about how we might encourage and help them improve and expand their businesses and employ more people,” Dr Gillespie said.

“These wage subsidies will create a strong incentive for employers to consider hiring unemployed youth as well as encouraging and supporting self-employment and entrepreneurship among young people.”

“This is a budget that also provides modest tax cuts, delivers increases in funding for education and health – while also getting the budget deficit under control and identifying a pathway back to repay Labor’s debt.

Dr Gillespie said the government would be combating tax avoidance, including multi-national tax avoidance.