30 years of Medi-caring for Logan

This month marks an important anniversary in the history of our health system.

Thirty years ago, on the first day of February in 1984, Medicare was introduced by the Hawke Labor government.

Medicare was founded on the important principle that no matter how rich or poor you are, if you are sick, you deserve access to the services of a doctor or to treatment in public hospitals. That means you get the health care you need, not just the health care you can afford.

Three decades later, this principle should remain the defining feature of our health system in our local community. As a result of Hawke’s healthcare reforms and the work done by subsequent Labor governments building on Medicare, more than 8.5 million Australians have been born and raised with access to universal health care.

This is perhaps why so many Logan residents view Medicare and universal health care as one of the most important community services.

But in 2014 Medicare faces some challenges. Unfortunately in his latest attack on Medicare, Tony Abbott and his LNP colleagues have not ruled out a GP tax that will end bulk billing as we know it and make it more difficult for tens of thousands of local residents to get access to doctors.

This new GP tax would especially affect big families, and the elderly in our community who need more regular access to health care.

We should always be looking for new ways to improve our health system, but this new GP tax is a step in the wrong direction. Any future changes to Medicare should serve to enhance its defining feature of fair access for all Australians to health care according to their medical needs.

Medicare is worth defending, and as your local representative, I will continue to fight for it.

First published in the Logan Reporter on the 14th of February, 2014

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