Fresh from delivering his budget reply speech, opposition leader Bill Shorten headed to Queanbeyan on Friday to criticise the proposed Medicare levy increase.
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Labor will back government plans to raise the levy by half a per cent, raising billions in revenue for the National Disability Insurance Scheme - but only for people in the top two tax brackets.
The proposed Medicare levy change means people in the top tax bracket would face a 49.5 per cent tax rate, versus 47.5 per cent under the Coalition.
Mr Shorten said his party's plan to fund the national disability insurance scheme would raise $50 billion over the medium term.
Labor’s plan incorporated keeping the deficit levy in place and only applying the 2.5 per cent Medicare levy to those earning more than $87,000 a year.
Shadow health minister Catherine King joined the Labor leader to vicist the GP Super Clinic in Queanbeyan and said the Coalition’s freezing of the Medicare benefit schedule would deny access to specialists.
“Particularly for allied health professionals, not until 2019 will we see the rebate unfrozen,” the shadow health minister said.
“The dietitians, the psychologists, the exercise physiologists, who are keeping people out of hospital in integrated practices such as this today.
“We have been fighting this government every day for its cuts to Medicare. We are going to continue to do that.”
With James Massola and AAP.
