7 hours Ago By Kat Wong and Andrew Brown
Labor's big health promise might have arrived too late, an expert says, as the party appears to be shifting strategies to stem bleeding support. or signup to continue reading Australians remain uninspired by Labor, with 55 per cent of surveyed voters saying they would preference the coalition on a two-party basis while 45 per cent would back the federal government, according to a Resolve Political Monitor published in Nine newspapers. Labor hopes its $8.
5 billion election promise to boost Medicare could help turn the tide, but political analyst Kos Samaras says the party should have unveiled the announcement at least 12 months ago. "They've waited too long to announce some of the very significant policy reforms that are designed to help people deal with their challenges," Redbridge Group director Mr Samaras told AAP. "We can't blame Australians for being cynical about the federal Labor government turning up with solutions a matter of weeks before an election.
" The polling reflected a continued slide in support for the government despite the Reserve Bank's rate decision, but with six in 10 respondents saying a cut would not change their vote, Mr Samaras said this result was not surprising. "It will take a few more cuts and a lot more relief to actually make an impact on the electoral landscape," he said. "These announcements are designed to lock in as much of their base as possible and minimise the seats they're going to lose - that's effectively their strategy.
"They will be happy with a minority government at this stage - that's where it's heading." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday revealed the government would spend about $320 on each Australian to ensure almost all doctor appointments were bulk billed by the end of the decade. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton acted quickly to announce the coalition would match the funding if it won the election but Mr Albanese dismissed the move.
"These are all just thoughts, spontaneously out there," Mr Albanese told reporters in Melbourne on Monday. "During an election campaign, when it's held, this is what he will be held to account on and not just being able to come up with these thought bubbles." Mr Albanese said he was confident a target of nine in 10 appointments being bulk billed by 2030 would be met.
Mr Dutton said GPs had a right to be sceptical about the 90 per cent figure. "The bulk-billing rate is important," he told reporters in Brisbane. "We've put our money where our mouth is and it's not just in relation to bulk billing.
It's general accessibility, it's workforce." Mr Dutton said cuts to the number of public servants the Commonwealth employed would help the coalition fund its matching of the Medicare announcement. The government has insisted Mr Dutton cannot be trusted, claiming he attempted to rip billions of dollars out of hospital funding and abolish bulk billing during his time as health minister in the Abbott government.
"On health policy, the choice couldn't be clearer," Health Minister Mark Butler told Nine's Today show. Coalition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston brushed off concerns, claiming the government was using "lies, distractions and distortions". The bulk-billing announcement is set to be a campaign centrepiece for the government ahead of an election to be held by May 17.
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