How specialist fees of $900 per visit are hurting private hospitals
Private health insurers say the out-of-pocket cost of seeing a specialist doctor has become so expensive that many Australians are deferring critical medical care, and that this is a key reason private hospitals are struggling to fill beds.
Health funds, which are under pressure to give hospitals more money, will on Thursday ask the Albanese government to address the steep rise in doctor fees not currently covered by private insurance, meaning patients often pay hundreds of dollars for a consultation.
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West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Australian news and politics live: Hume says Labor's super tax hike will hit future generations
Scroll down for the latest news and updates. The Health Minister has defended the government's approach to US beef imports as trade talks with the Trump administration heat up. With the US imposing a 10 per cent tariff on Australian beef and pushing for greater access for American beef, including meat from cattle raised in Canada or Mexico but processed in the US, the Albanese government is reportedly weighing changes to biosecurity laws to secure an exemption. 'We will be making a decision on the national interest, as you would expect us to,' Mr Butler told Sunrise. 'We won't compromise our biosecurity laws either. This is US beef that's raised in Canada or Mexico, not cattle raised in the US itself but then brought into America, slaughtered there and proposed for export.' Butler insisted, 'This will be a decision taken on its merits, not for convenience, not to get a deal.' He clarified, 'Our biosecurity officials have been reviewing that question to see whether that situation complies with our very strict biosecurity laws.' Liberal Senator Jane Hume has sharply criticised the government's proposed changes to superannuation tax, warning they could hurt many Australians in the long run. Under the plan, the tax rate on super balances over $3 million would double, but the $3 million threshold won't rise with inflation or wages. Ms Hume told Sunrise on Friday morning, 'If you're an average 20-year-old today earning an average wage, you could end up paying this higher tax by the time you retire because the threshold stays the same while your super grows.' She added, 'It's a deliberate design feature to not index the tax threshold. That way, more and more people will be caught up every year.'
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
Albanese to put beef on the table in Trump trade talks
However, the US's mad cow outbreak subsided and Australia's ban on US beef was lifted in 2019. Biosecurity officials are still reviewing whether to permit cattle raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the US into Australia, as the Trump administration has demanded. 'Our farmers are blocked from selling almost anywhere ... Australia won't let us sell beef,' US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in April, in an oversimplification of the current situation. It is unclear whether the outcome of that review will be the card Albanese plays in his discussion with Trump, which another government source noted was not a 'deal-or-no-deal' moment and could lead to months of talks. The source added that ministers were wary of Trump's erratic approach and were unwilling to 'sell the farm' by giving in to US demands to water down the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or back away from charging tech giants for news. The prime minister's office was contacted for comment. Experts, including former inspector-general of biosecurity Helen Scott-Orr, told this masthead in April that they endorsed Australia's ban on US beef exports from cattle raised outside the US. Australia's disease-free status depended on strict biosecurity protocols, they said. 'We do not use them [biosecurity protocols] as non-tariff trade barriers. When other countries query our biosecurity requirements, we have to justify them and show that we are applying proper controls to allow trade to all those countries to continue,' Scott-Orr said. 'The requirements we have are very cautious because the consequences would be huge.' The Albanese government's consideration of permitting US beef imports suggests it has found a pathway through these complications. In April, Albanese said he would negotiate with the US but would never undermine biosecurity. 'We will not weaken the measures that protect our farmers and producers from the risks of disease or contamination,' he said in a separate statement. Agriculture sector consultant Patrick Hutchison, of Gibraltar Strategic Advisory, said while the US was a major competitor in the biggest markets for beef, like China, Japan and Korea, Australia's population of 27 million was likely too small to become a major target for Americans. 'US exports would only play a very niche role in the market here, like in food service or potentially, US-aligned supermarket chains,' Hutchinson said. The US is the biggest market for Australian beef, which is used in 6 billion hamburgers across the United States each year, and industry calculates tariffs would cost US consumers an additional $600 million a year. National Farmers Federation President David Jochinke said he welcomed Albanese's ongoing commitment not to compromise biosecurity rules to satisfy US demands. Loading 'The science-based, biosecurity assessment processes undertaken by the Australian government are crucial in ensuring imports are safe,' Jochinke said. Australia's historic trade with the US dipped into a deficit for the first time earlier this year, just as Trump was preparing to announce tariffs. However, it returned to surplus on Thursday, handing Albanese and Farrell a more powerful argument because most countries, unlike Australia, sell more to the US than they buy from it. The US hostility towards trade under Trump has forced its allies to open up new trading avenues. Australia is closing in on a long-delayed free-trade deal with the EU, with Trade Minister Don Farrell meeting European counterparts in Paris this week. Loading UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer secured a partial exemption from metals tariffs when he visited Washington, creating a precedent for such an arrangement and fuelling Coalition calls for Albanese to get the same outcome. The prime minister said on Tuesday he would 'certainly' raise metals tariff with Trump, and on Thursday argued the case for a long-delayed EU trade deal that Farrell is now negotiating was bolstered by the chaos caused by Trump's tariff spree.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese to put beef on the table in Trump trade talks
However, the US's mad cow outbreak subsided and Australia's ban on US beef was lifted in 2019. Biosecurity officials are still reviewing whether to permit cattle raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the US into Australia, as the Trump administration has demanded. 'Our farmers are blocked from selling almost anywhere ... Australia won't let us sell beef,' US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in April, in an oversimplification of the current situation. It is unclear whether the outcome of that review will be the card Albanese plays in his discussion with Trump, which another government source noted was not a 'deal-or-no-deal' moment and could lead to months of talks. The source added that ministers were wary of Trump's erratic approach and were unwilling to 'sell the farm' by giving in to US demands to water down the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or back away from charging tech giants for news. The prime minister's office was contacted for comment. Experts, including former inspector-general of biosecurity Helen Scott-Orr, told this masthead in April that they endorsed Australia's ban on US beef exports from cattle raised outside the US. Australia's disease-free status depended on strict biosecurity protocols, they said. 'We do not use them [biosecurity protocols] as non-tariff trade barriers. When other countries query our biosecurity requirements, we have to justify them and show that we are applying proper controls to allow trade to all those countries to continue,' Scott-Orr said. 'The requirements we have are very cautious because the consequences would be huge.' The Albanese government's consideration of permitting US beef imports suggests it has found a pathway through these complications. In April, Albanese said he would negotiate with the US but would never undermine biosecurity. 'We will not weaken the measures that protect our farmers and producers from the risks of disease or contamination,' he said in a separate statement. Agriculture sector consultant Patrick Hutchison, of Gibraltar Strategic Advisory, said while the US was a major competitor in the biggest markets for beef, like China, Japan and Korea, Australia's population of 27 million was likely too small to become a major target for Americans. 'US exports would only play a very niche role in the market here, like in food service or potentially, US-aligned supermarket chains,' Hutchinson said. The US is the biggest market for Australian beef, which is used in 6 billion hamburgers across the United States each year, and industry calculates tariffs would cost US consumers an additional $600 million a year. National Farmers Federation President David Jochinke said he welcomed Albanese's ongoing commitment not to compromise biosecurity rules to satisfy US demands. Loading 'The science-based, biosecurity assessment processes undertaken by the Australian government are crucial in ensuring imports are safe,' Jochinke said. Australia's historic trade with the US dipped into a deficit for the first time earlier this year, just as Trump was preparing to announce tariffs. However, it returned to surplus on Thursday, handing Albanese and Farrell a more powerful argument because most countries, unlike Australia, sell more to the US than they buy from it. The US hostility towards trade under Trump has forced its allies to open up new trading avenues. Australia is closing in on a long-delayed free-trade deal with the EU, with Trade Minister Don Farrell meeting European counterparts in Paris this week. Loading UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer secured a partial exemption from metals tariffs when he visited Washington, creating a precedent for such an arrangement and fuelling Coalition calls for Albanese to get the same outcome. The prime minister said on Tuesday he would 'certainly' raise metals tariff with Trump, and on Thursday argued the case for a long-delayed EU trade deal that Farrell is now negotiating was bolstered by the chaos caused by Trump's tariff spree.
