Labor MP Brendan O’Connor says the Coalition MP’s position is ‘untenable’ and the PM should consider her future. All the day’s events in Canberra, live
Topics being tackled in community affairs estimates today are private health insurance, the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and Medicare.
Senator David Leyonhjelm has asked health department staff about whether doctors who are authorised to prescribe RU486 for medical terminations could have their details listed online to make it easier for women to find them.
The department responds that doing so might breach privacy laws and be a criminal offence, and that there is nothing stopping doctors advertising that they are qualified to provide the medicine themselves. There are 1476 doctors registered to prescribe RU486 in Australia.
Leyonhjelm is told that even if a government-managed list of prescribing doctors was made available, the department would have to consider the cost to the community of continuously updating it.
The Greens are also considering their position on the family court changes:
Delays in the family court system should be addressed by more funding for the courts, legal aid and community legal centres, Greens Justice spokesperson Nick McKim says.
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Guardian World News
Coalition’s ‘arbitrary’ tax cap will force future spending cuts, thinktank warns
Exclusive: Australia Institute says debates about funding what people need should not be decided by limits and targets
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The treasurer, Scott Morrison, describes it as the “speed limit” on taxes but a new paper says the Coalition’s 23.9% tax-to-GDP cap is an “arbitrary” limit that will push the government to make austerity cuts to fund new programs.
While a dramatic improvement in revenues has given the Coalition room to ditch the planned $8bn Medicare levy increase and offer income-tax cuts, the Australia Institute has warned in a briefing note that the combination of a limit on tax and a surplus target will necessitate spending cuts in future.
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Medicare change to give greater dialysis access to remote Indigenous Australians
Move is welcomed as a lifeline for the growing health crisis of Indigenous kidney disease
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The federal government has added dialysis services to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to provide remote-living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people better access to lifesaving treatment.
The sector has welcomed the move as a lifeline for the growing health crisis of Indigenous kidney disease, which has had to rely on private donations and fundraising to provide care because of inadequate government funding.
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Government ditches planned $8bn rise in Medicare levy
Scott Morrison will outline plans to forgo revenue intended to fund NDIS but says government can still fund program
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The Turnbull government will use the looming May budget to dump plans to increase the Medicare levy to fund the national disability insurance scheme, in a shift intended to reframe the tax debate before the next election.
Scott Morrison will use a speech to business economists on Thursday to confirm the about face on a measure the government outlined in the 2017 budget.
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Illinois primary election: anti-abortion Democrat wins close congressional fight
Seven-term incumbent Dan Lipinski faced first serious challenge from progressive Marie Newman, who has refused to concede
Incumbent Democrat Dan Lipinski won a narrow victory after a fierce challenge from progressive Marie Newman on Tuesday in Illinois’s third congressional district. With 95% of the vote reporting, Lipinski, one of the few remaining anti-abortion Democrats on Capitol Hill, edged out Newman by 51% to 49%.
A seven-term incumbent, Lipinski had not faced a serious challenge in a decade. However, in a district that backed Hillary Clinton by 15 points in 2016, he faced criticism not just for his views on abortion but his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and refusal to endorse Barack Obama in 2012.
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Norfolk Islanders go to UN to fight Australia over right to self-govern
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson launches legal challenge on behalf of islanders, who say they are a distinct ethnic group
The international human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has launched a legal challenge with the United Nations on behalf of Norfolk Islanders, alleging the Australian government has placed islander’s culture and language at risk by revoking their right to self-govern.
The island – roughly halfway between Australia and New Zealand – had been governed by its legislative assembly since 1979, until the Australian government’s decision in 2015 to revoke its autonomy. Australian federal and state laws are now enforced and islanders are now entitled to Medicare and other government services. Travelling between the island and Australia no longer requires a passport.
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Batman byelection: Greens target Medicare rebate freeze in fight for votes
Richard Di Natale says people face choice of paying hundreds for radiology services or going without essential care
The Greens have pledged a $550m funding boost for x-rays and radiology on Medicare as they ramp up their efforts to triumph in the Batman byelection.
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Canadians cut food and heating to afford prescription drugs, report finds
- Nearly one million Canadians sacrificed groceries and heating
- The only developed country with no universal drug plan
Nearly one million Canadians sacrificed food and heating last year in order to afford prescription drugs, according to a new report.
Despite having a universal health care system, Canada remains the only developed country in the world with no universal drug plan. It also has the second-highest drug prices in the industrialized world.
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Koch-backed group fights paid sick leave laws as flu sweeps US
The lobbying group that led the assault on Obamacare has targeted movements across the US to ensure workers can get needed time off
This week marks 25 years since Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, which gives US workers the right to unpaid time off to care for themselves and close family members.
It took another decade for some to win paid sick leave, when San Franciscans approved a ballot initiative in 2006 for private employees to earn an hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Similar measures now benefit 14 million workers in 32 municipalities and nine states.
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Private health insurance sector calls for increase to Medicare levy surcharge
Private Healthcare Australia says surcharge not a strong enough incentive given rising premiums
High-income earners should be penalised at a higher rate through the Medicare levy surcharge for failing to take out private health insurance, the insurance sector says.
Single people who earn more than $90,000 and families earning more than $180,000 pay an extra 1%-1.5% levy if they do not have private health cover, with the levy tiered according to income.
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