WESTERN SYDNEY HIT HARDEST BY TONY ABBOTT’S GP TAX
Prime Minister Tony Abbott should use his visit to Western Sydney today to explain why he thinks families in Parramatta, Penrith, Blacktown and Mount Druitt should bear the brunt of his proposed GP Tax.
Six of the top ten electorates Australia-wide that will be hardest hit by Tony Abbott’s $6 GP Tax are in Western Sydney.
In fact, ten Western Sydney electorates face tax hikes of more than $6 million a year under the Prime Minister’s proposed new GP Tax.
The electorate of Chifley - covering Blacktown and Mount Druitt - will be the hardest hit area Australia-wide.
Nearly 99 per cent of GP services are bulk billed in Chifley, meaning the GP Tax will take $8.2 million dollars out of the pockets of local families every year.
This is a tax on Western Sydney families.
Labor believes that all Australians should get the healthcare they need – not just the healthcare Tony Abbott says they can afford.
The Prime Minister’s new GP Tax will mean more parents will be out of pocket when they take their sick kids to the doctor, or families just won’t get the care they need.
Tony Abbott said before the election he wouldn’t bring in any new taxes. His new GP tax is a broken promise to millions of Western Sydney families that they won’t forget.
Labor will continue to fight any attempt by this government to dismantle universal healthcare in Australia.
TOP TEN ELECTORATES AUSTRALIA-WIDE THAT WILL BE HARDEST HIT BY TONY ABBOTT’S NEW GP TAX
| RANK | ELECTORATE | TOTAL GP SERVICES 2010 | BULK-BILLING RATE | $6 GP TAX PER SERVICE |
| 1 | Chifley (NSW) | 1,367,087 | 98.90% | $8.29 million |
| 2 | Blaxland (NSW) | 1,297,709 | 98.20% | $7.93 million |
| 3 | Watson (NSW) | 1,264,566 | 97.80% | $7.75 million |
| 4 | Lalor (VIC) | 1,150,072 | 90.90% | $7.58 million |
| 5 | Holt (VIC) | 1,082,938 | 87.8% | $7.40 million |
| 6 | Fowler (NSW) | 1,195,967 | 98.2% | $7.30 million |
| 7 | Calwell (VIC) | 1,108,670 | 92.6% | $7.18 million |
| 8 | Parramatta (NSW) | 1,139,067 | 95.30% | $7.16 million |
| 9 | Gorton (VIC) | 1,048,279 | 88.90% | $7.07 million |
| 10 | McMahon (NSW) | 1,118,800 | 97.80% | $6.86 million |
Source: Medicare bulk billing data
MONDAY, 10 MARCH 2014
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