Tasmanians are the biggest losers …

With the one year anniversary of the Abbott Government, Tasmanians will be the biggest losers from what is already recognised as one of its biggest disasters — the plan to slug sick Australians with a seven dollar tax every time they visit the doctor.

Opposition to the GP Tax continues to grow amid evidence that it will lead to worse health outcomes for Australians and cost the taxpayer more.

And there is growing anger from Australians about this broken promise from a Prime Minister who a year ago pledged “no cuts to health” and “no new taxes”.

The Abbott Government announced its GP Tax after the hand-picked chair of its National Commission of Audit, Tony Shepherd, wrongly asserted that Australia’s universal health system was being abused and Australians were visiting the doctor too often.

The truth is, if you want to blow a hole in the health budget, introducing a GP Tax is a perfect way to do it.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in a recent Senate inquiry into out of pocket expenses in Australian healthcare.

A number of witnesses said the GP Tax would stop many Australians, particularly those on low incomes, from seeing their GP when they are sick leading to worse health outcomes for which they would have to seek more expensive treatment.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners told the inquiry that the GP Tax would lead to preventable conditions not being treated. This would lead in turn to more hospitalisations and an increase in the cost of healthcare.

So despite the Abbott Government claiming the GP Tax as a savings measure, it would actually cost Australia’s health system more in the long run.

Just to show how twisted this government’s priorities are, at the same time as proposing a tax which will drive up demand for hospital services, they are cutting funding to hospitals by $57 billion.

Not only will the GP Tax hurt the budget, but the inquiry also heard witness after witness explain how it would hurt vulnerable Australians.

The Consumers Health Forum said that low income Australians such as pensioners would be forced to choose whether to go without food, heating or health care.

Some pensioners who have called or written to my office have expressed this exact fear, saying the money they would spend on the GP Tax would otherwise go to food or electricity.

They were quite insulted by Treasurer Joe Hockey’s suggestion that it would cost them a couple of beers or a third of a pack of cigarettes—they would struggle to afford either.

I have received correspondence from several organisations throughout Australia which organise bulk-billed health care services for dementia patients, people experiencing homelessness or remote Aboriginal communities.

These services are wondering how they will possibly collect the GP Tax from their patients, and say they would not be viable if the GP Tax became law.

The tax is particularly harsh on people with chronic illness, who often have multiple conditions requiring regular visits to their GP.

The evidence given by the Australian Medical Association showed that Tasmania would be hit especially hard by the GP Tax.

In response to questions I put about the impact on Tasmanians, President of the AMA, Associate Professor Brian Owler, said:

“We know that Tasmania has a higher burden of chronic disease, has higher smoking rates, and we need to do more to encourage preventative health care and chronic disease management. And that’s why I think the co-payment will affect Tasmanians more than it affects people in other jurisdictions.”

One year ago, Tony Abbott said he would not introduce new taxes, would not break promises and would not spring any “nasty surprises” on the Australian public. Now he is persisting with a policy that does all three.

The GP Tax is bad policy.

It is bad for patients, bad for doctors, bad for health care and bad for the long term health of the budget.

Labor knows it, medical professionals know it, the Australian people know it, and even some government backbenchers know it.

Surely, it’s time for Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and his Treasurer Joe Hockey, to realise that this toxic tax has to go.