STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (13:51): The Albanese government has made a decision that speaks volumes about its priorities, and older Australians are the ones paying for it. For Michael, in his 80s, it means $7 more every week for the health cover he and his wife rely on. As he told me, 'That's not much to Albo and his mates, but a nice whack to the income of pensioners.' Michael is not alone, and he is not exaggerating.

From 1 April next year, Labor will strip away the higher private health insurance rebate for Australians aged 65 and over. Those are 3.2 million seniors who will now pay more, around $250 extra every year. Australia is ageing rapidly.

In just four decades, the number of Australians over 65 will double, and the number of those over 85 will more than triple. At the very moment we should be strengthening support for older Australians, Labor is weakening it. This change will bank $3 billion for the government over four years, but it won't save the taxpayer, because, when seniors drop private cover, they don't stop needing care.

They go to Medicare. They turn to our public hospitals. The pressure is on the public system already, and it is Australian taxpayers that will be paying for it.

Let's call this what it is—a tax on ageing, a quiet penalty for living longer. Older Australians deserve respect, security and certainty, not a budget fix at their expense. Leadership means protecting those who built this country, not raiding their pockets when it is convenient.