Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025
Senator HANSON (Queensland—Leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation and Pauline Hanson's One Nation Whip) (18:55): Thank you for that bit of a response. I've put up an amendment to help with rorting, and that is to do with patients showing identification apart from their Medicare cards when they attend the doctor and saying: 'This is me. I haven't picked up my neighbour's or my friend's or my family's Medicare card.
This is actually me.' When you go into pubs and clubs or wherever, you have to sign in. 'Can you show identification of who you are?' 'Yes, no worries. Here it is.' If you want to go and have a beer or have a meal in a pub or a club, you've got to prove who you are and that it's actually you entering that club, and you've got to sign in for it. If you have a drivers licence, you have to provide that identification.
Minister, why are you and your political party so adamant about not ensuring that that is the person claiming those benefits from the taxpayer? They don't have to produce documentation proving that that is them, when we know for a fact that people are rorting the system. I said it in my speech.
You've got 100,000 illegals in the country overstaying their visas. I've proven the point—and it came from the Federal Police—that I was told about this person who actually used his friend's card here in Australia, so— The CHAIR: Senator Grogan, a point of order? Senator Grogan: I believe this amendment that Senator Hanson is talking to is the one that we've already dealt with.
It is sheet 3373, which was a deferred vote, but it was actually called. The CHAIR: It's a deferred vote; however, the senator can continue in the committee stage. Senator Grogan: Even though that's been dealt with?
Okay. Senator Hanson interjecting— The CHAIR: Senator Hanson, can you resume your seat. I will take further advice, but my understanding is that this is completely within order.
It is in order. Senator Hanson, have you finished? Senator HANSON: No, I'm not finished.
Minister, I'm asking you: why are you knocking back the requirement for people who go to see the doctor with a Medicare card to show identification—to back it up with identification that they are actually the person utilising that service funded by the taxpayer? I will go back to the point again—$3 billion a year in rorts. Why will you not support this requirement to show identification, when we insist that people going to pubs and clubs have to show identification to go and have a beer or have a meal?