Policy misfire for Labor leader
A DESPERATE attempt to bolster the economic credentials of an urgent care clinics policy has backfired for Labor, with Anthony Albanese forced into another embarrassing walk back.
The Labor leader had previously claimed the $135m plan to establish 50 clinics to treat minor injuries and illnesses open at least 14 hours a day, seven days a week had been “fully costed by the … Parliamentary Budget Office”.
But less than 48 hours later, Labor’s finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher issued a clarifying tweet on the eve of the public holiday confirming the PBO had not costed the plan.
Mr Albanese on Friday insisted the policy was “fully costed,” but he conceded this was not formally carried out by the PBO.
“They were informed by the PBO work and all of our policies will be fully costed, and will be fully released,” he said.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said it was “yet another embarrassment” for Mr Albanese.
“(A) failure of leadership or knowledge on his part is being exposed by his shadow finance minister as lying or misleading Australians,” Mr Birmingham said.
“The one key policy he’s trying to sing and dance about all week has not in fact been costed by the PBO,” he said.
News Corp previously requested the PBO costings behind the $135m over four years on Wednesday when they were first cited by Mr Albanese, but Labor declined to provide the details.
“We will release the costs of our policies, in the usual manner, as we always do before the election,” a Labor spokesman said at the time.
It is understood this costing assumed each GP clinic would need about $750,000 a year to cover extra staffing and administration expenses associated with operating longer hours, including about $250,000 for equipment and materials required to treat broken bones, minor burns, sprains and stitches.
As all the services at the clinics would be bulk billed, the majority of the cost of the procedures would be covered by Medicare.
The location of the 50 clinics has not been revealed, but during a visit to the Hunter in NSW on Thursday, Mr Albanese confirmed one would be established in the electorate at Cessnock.
Australian Medical Association president Dr Omar Khorshid has criticised Labor’s plan as “piecemeal, ill-thought out ideas where they haven’t consulted with general practitioners and emergency doctors”.
“The plan acknowledges costs faced by general practices in opening after hours, but instead of enabling thousands of practices across the country to improve their offering to patients, it focuses on only 50 practices, using a model reminiscent of the failed Rudd era GP super clinics,” he said.
Labor has argued the provision of bulk-billed urgent medical care would actually ease pressure on hospitals by allowing families to see a doctor without having to wait in an emergency department.