Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026

Mr GEE (Calare) (10:56): Seniors across the electorate of Calare are absolutely outraged by these cruel and unnecessary cuts. These cuts are going to slash private health insurance rebates for Australians over 65—some of our most vulnerable Australians. The outrage has come from right across the Central West of New South Wales.

People are outraged because there is no mandate for these cuts. If the government had wanted to come in and slash these health rebates for older Australians, they should have taken that to a federal election; they should have put it to the people and got a mandate for it. But there is no mandate for these cruel cuts.

These Australians have worked hard. They've sacrificed. They decided they didn't want to be a burden on the state public system, so they took out private health insurance.

And what's happened? Their rebates have been ripped away from them. They've paid their premiums year after year, doing their bit to relieve the pressure on the public health system and the public purse.

Now, with crushing cost-of-living pressures, what is their reward for all this? The reward is that these rebates have been snatched away. It's hard to put into words the anger being felt across Australia about this, but, here today, I want to give voice to some constituents who have contacted me.

They want Australia to know the effect of this and how they feel about this. For Glen and Frances Rich, from Bathurst, it is stated: At 80 and 84 years of age, the change will impose an additional financial burden that they can hardly afford. They are concerned about the increasing cost of maintaining private health insurance and believe the removal of the rebate will place further pressure on older Australians living on fixed incomes.

That is what Glen and Frances have contacted our office and told me about. Lindy Conran, from Spring Flat, says: My husband and I are over 65, self-funded retirees receiving absolutely no financial government assistance … (the thanks we get for working hard, saving our money and going without to make ourselves self sufficient in retirement only to be slugged once again).

As we reside in a rural community, the need for health cover is paramount as sadly healthcare in the bush is lacking. The cost of our healthcare rising because of the removal of the age-based rebate coupled with the rising cost of living will take a toll on our finances and it may be that we will need to either reduce our level of health cover or cancel it entirely.

I would point out that we have held health cover continuously for 40+ years and now in our advancing years, when potentially we will require access to health cover, we may be denied because of this proposed initiative. Lindy goes on to write: Being in a rural area it is important that we are able to access treatment in a timely manner thus avoiding long public hospital wait times and choking up an already ailing health system even more so.

These are very, very valid points for country Australians. Lindy goes on to describe 'this ill thought out, short-sighted proposal'. Lindy says: Our healthcare system is unable to keep up with demand now so imagine what the outcome will be if this proposal is mandated.

Well, there is no mandate for it as we know. She says: Once again it is penalising those in the community that can least afford it, those living on a fixed income who have tried to future proof themselves for retirement without relying on government assistance. John Gray, a constituent, has written in.

John says: I question on behalf of myself and other like pensioners the removal of the private health benefit to those over 65 … He describes it as 'abhorrent'. He says: We have worked all of our lives and paid our taxes and this is the reward we get. Can't these Labor politicians see that this could cause more problems in the hospital wait times if we drop our private insurance at a time in our lives that we may need more medical attention?

He then goes on to describe the whole thing as a 'debacle'. Rosemary from Orange has written in, and she says: I'm not certain if we would be able to bear the cost of this. I suffer from osteoarthritis and have had a hip replacement and will need to have the other one done within the next 2 years.

I worked in the Public Health sector and I don't wish to go on the 'waiting list' for 12 months or longer to get the replacement done. We are pensioners but our income is supplemented by a small income stream from superannuation, which we worked towards all our working lives. We are lucky compared to a lot of people, for which I'm grateful for.

They've worked all of their lives, and they were told this is the system. If you take out this insurance, if you pay the money, if you do the right thing—what we're asking you to do—then you will be looked after. And that's been proven to be a lie with this legislation.

It's heartbreaking. It's stressful. It's causing great angst in our communities.

It's causing anger and outrage. Terry Longmore has contacted me, and Terry wants me to pass on his 'utter disgust at the way in which older Australians are being punished both financially and mentally for getting old'. He then says: Australia, the lucky country, says who?

No wonder people are losing faith in governments and institutions. They're told one thing, and then another thing happens. Governments are not true to their word.

This should have been taken to an election. There should be a mandate for it. If you want to do it, get the mandate.

It's very simple. Peter Dowdell writes in. He says that he and his wife are over 65.

They've worked, and they've paid for taxes and private health insurance all of their working lives. He describes this as a 'disgraceful grab'. For members on the other side of the aisle here, he doesn't varnish his words.

He says that it's 'just another example of this appalling, destructive Labor government'. That's how strongly they feel about this. It's a terrible amount of angst and anxiety and stress that we're placing on our seniors because of this.

We know that these cuts will swamp state hospitals and add hours to wait times. That's what our constituents are all pointing out when they're writing in about this. They see it.

We see it. Those opposite must see it too. Our local hospitals across the Central West are already strained by severe workforce shortages and bed block.

They're at breaking point. If thousands of people across country Australia are forced to drop cover due to these premiums rising and the rebates going, it will crush our regional public health system into collapse. It'll just put more pressure on it.

So there is no point in doing this. It's going to cost government in the long run—particularly state governments but federal governments too. Its short-sighted.

Just for a quick cash grab, you've targeted these older Australians. It's just wrong and it's cruel. This policy is short-sighted.

It is unfair to our seniors. It's bad for regional health care. It's bad for Australian health care.

And this policy needs to be binned immediately. So I'd say to those opposite: you must be getting these letters, emails and phone calls from your constituents. They must be writing in.

Heed their words, heed their pain and anger, and reverse course on this ill thought out policy, this cruel policy. And bin it immediately.