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Labor will widen eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, in line with the Government’s announcement today.
 
We’re not interested in playing politics when we see a good idea.
 
Unlike the Morrison Government, we can be trusted to deliver on our announcements for older Australians and pensioners.
 
The Liberals have a habit of making promises to pensioners at election time but cutting support at budget time. 
 
Over the course of their decade in power, this Government tried to lift the pension age to 70 years, and when Scott Morrison was in charge as Minister, he took 90,000 seniors off the Pensioner Concession Card.
 
When Labor was last in government, we delivered the biggest lift to the pension in history.
 
We know how important it is for healthcare to be accessible to all Australians. That’s why we will strengthen Medicare, and make it easier for Australians to see a doctor.
 
That’s in contrast to Scott Morrison, who has chosen a new Health Minister who thinks Medicare needs to be cut.
 
Only Labor can be trusted to deliver on this promise, and to protect Medicare for all Australians.

Millions of Australians will save $12.50 on medical scripts under an Albanese Labor Government, with a commitment to slash the cost of common medications. 

Labor will reduce the maximum co-payment under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from $42.50 to a maximum of $30, a reduction of 29 per cent.

Under Labor’s proposal a person taking one medication a month could save $150 a year, with those taking two medications a month saving up to $300 each year.

The changes to the PBS will take effect from the 1st of January 2023 and will save Australians more than $190 million in out-of-pocket costs.

The existing safety net provisions will continue and all scripts currently counting towards a patient’s safety net will continue to do so.

An Albanese Labor Government will ensure Australians have access to affordable medicines by listing every drug recommended by the independent experts on the PBS. 

The PBS is designed to keep medications affordable for Australians. The PBS and Medicare are the foundation stones of our health care system. 

An Albanese Labor Government will strengthen Medicare and the PBS.

Anthony Albanese said:
“Cost of living pressures are real. Everything is going up under the Morrison Government. These changes to the PBS are necessary because we need to make sure that Australians can afford the medications they need.”

Mark Butler said:
“We know out-of-pocket health care costs are too high in Australia and among the highest in the OECD countries. Cutting the cost of medications will help millions of Australians. Our changes to the PBS mean that the trip to the chemist won’t be an expensive one.”

An extra 50,000 older Australians will have access to more affordable health care and medications to help ease cost of living pressures under changes to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

A re-elected Morrison Government will increase the singles income test threshold from $57,761 to around $90,000 from July 1 this year, to give more senior Australians access to the concession card. The couple’s threshold will also increase from $92,416 to $144,000.

At the Commonwealth level, all card holders are eligible for cheaper medications and health care, and they may also be eligible for state, territory and local government savings such as discounted rates, electricity and gas bills, ambulance, dental, eye care, recreation and public transport.

The Prime Minister said the Coalition would invest more than $70 million over four years to expand eligibility, helping an extra 50,000 senior Australians this year.

“Our economic plan is delivering affordable, practical cost of living relief for senior Australians and this is the dividend of running a strong economy,” the Prime Minister said.

“This means more senior Australians could save hundreds of dollars, including up to $428 a year for access to a monthly script for vital medicines and a refund for medical costs if you reach the Medicare Safety Net.

“This is the first major change, outside of indexation, to the income threshold of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card in over 20 years. The Coalition can deliver this because of our strong economic management.

“Every dollar counts, especially for older Australians who are no longer working. Senior Australians have worked hard to make Australia all that it is today, and it’s important that the country takes care of them in return.

“There is a clear choice at this election. Australians can vote for the Coalition with a plan for a strong economy and a stronger future that delivers cost of living relief, or a weak economy under Labor, which has no economic plan.”

Currently, more than 436,000 Australians aged over 67 years who are not already receiving a pension or benefit have a Seniors Health Card. The income threshold change will mean more than 486,000 would be eligible, an 11 per cent increase.

Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said the commitment would build on the Coalition’s $525 million investment in the Budget to reduce the safety net threshold for PBS medications to help concession card holders who need multiple medicines a year.

“We are absolutely committed to supporting older Australians to have affordable access to the medicines and care they need so they can enjoy a happy and healthy retirement,” Minister Ruston said.

“The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card provides self-funded retirees with benefits including cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

“Senior Australians know the risks of Labor. When they were last in Government, Labor’s poor economic management left them unable to list vital medicines on the PBS.”

This plan builds on the Coalition’s immediate cost of living relief, and plans for a stronger economic future. The Coalition is cutting the fuel excise in half, meaning a family with two cars would save $700 over six months. We are delivering a one-off $420 tax offset to eligible low- and middle-income earners. We are also providing a $250 payment to eligible pensioners, welfare recipients, veterans and eligible concession card holders to help with cost of living. In addition, we have announced that a re-elected Morrison Government will cut the price of medications listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme by $10 per script from January 1 next year.Only the Morrison Government has a plan to responsibly relieve cost of living pressures, create more jobs, guarantee the essential services Australians rely on and keep Australians safe.

A re-elected Morrison Government will continue its world-leading reforms that protect children, women and families online including by significantly enhancing eSafety capability in schools, ensuring strong parental controls are available on devices and legislating our tough anti-trolling laws.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Coalition had stood up to big tech and social media giants to make Australia a world-leader in online safety, but there was much more to be done.

“Our kids should be able to learn, be entertained, or connect with their friends and family without facing abuse, humiliation or online predators,” the Prime Minister said.

“The online world cannot be a cowards’ cavern where the rules of the real world do not exist.

“Big tech and social media giants must be held to account. Our plan will force them to do more – they cannot create it, and wash their hands of all consequences of it.

“Our plan will also ensure parents can protect their kids online with strong parental controls, help to prevent harm by raising awareness in every school, and improve our support for those harmed online.

“We have achieved so much in the online world, but there is much more to be done, and only a Coalition Government will stand up to big tech and social media giants.”

The Coalition’s policy includes:

• A $23 million eSafety Schools package to raise awareness of the eSafety Commissioner’s support across every school in Australia, provide training programs for teachers, new and improved online safety resources for schools and enhance the Trusted eSafety Provider Program that connects schools with external online safety providers that meet high standards.
• Ensuring smartphones and tablet devices have strong parental controls installed that are easier to find and activate (particularly when first setting up a device) and harder for kids to bypass, through a binding industry code under the Online Safety Act. If industry doesn’t act within 12 months, we will regulate to force them.
• $10 million for the eSafety Commissioner to further expand coordination with other regulatory and law enforcement agencies, ensuring victims ‘tell-us-once’ and are supported into the right service, so they spend more time recovering and less time in bureaucracy.
• Legislating the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) laws to ensure social media companies are held accountable as publishers and Australians are given more power to deal with harmful defamatory comments from anonymous trolls.
• Supporting online safety in multicultural Australia by earmarking $2 million under the Online Safety Grants for projects that support women and girls in CALD communities.

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the Government’s principle is that the same rules and laws that apply in the real world should also apply in the digital world.

“The online world should not be an ungoverned space,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The internet has brought incredible benefits for us all, but we will continue to remain vigilant to protect our children from some of the toxic harms they can confront when online.”

These announcements build on the Coalition’s strong track-record in online safety. In 2015 we established the world’s first eSafety Commissioner to protect children from bullying and harmful content. We have significantly expanded eSafety’s powers through the Online Safety Act, including introducing the world’s first scheme to remove harmful cyber-abuse of adults.

Other recent initiatives include:

• The announcement of new laws combatting harmful misinformation;
• Drafting of new laws to improve online privacy and ensure social media companies give primary consideration to the best interest of the child when handling their personal information;
• Establishment of a House Select Committee inquiry into social media and online safety, with its recommendations now before the Government;
• $16.6m towards Women’s Safety Online to establish a new telephone service to provide support for women and children experiencing technology-facilitated abuse;
• $10m towards boosting support for online safety NGOs, with organisations such as the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and Alannah and Madeline Foundation already supported under the program;
• $5m for eSafety to expand its national awareness campaign, bringing total funding for the current campaign to $10 million;
• A new Online Safety Youth Advisory Council; and
• Updates to Australia’s Classification System to protect children against content such as loot boxes in video games and to address content that sexualises children or depicts suicide and violence against women and children.

For more detail on our latest commitments, as well as the Morrison Government’s record of keeping Australians safe online, see: https://www.liberal.org.au/our-policies.

To find further resources and tools on online safety and support for removing online bullying, abuse or harassment, visit: www.esafety.gov.au.

The Morrison Government is continuing its support for young people with a $5.5 million investment in youth mental health organisation batyr.

batyr is a preventative mental health organisation, created and led by young people, for young people. It aims to reduce the stigma around mental illness and encourage young people to reach out for support through engagement, education and empowerment.

The new funding includes $3.8 million, delivered through the 2022-23 Budget, for batyr to expand its OurHerd digital platform. OurHerd is a free app that provides young people with a safe digital space to view and learn from positive mental health stories shared by their peers. The funding builds on the Government’s previous investment of $2.8 million through the 2019-20 Budget to develop OurHerd.

In addition, batyr will receive $1.7 million under the Government’s $114 million National Suicide Prevention and Leadership Program, which was expanded and extended in the 2021-22 Budget, to deliver the Thrive On project. This is an evidence-based, peer-to-peer mental health and suicide prevention program particularly focused on high school and tertiary education students.

The Prime Minister said that while an estimated one in four young Australians aged 16 to 24 years experienced mental illness in any given year, many do not seek help.

“Young Australians are facing more pressures than ever before, particularly as the pandemic had many feeling like they were completely alone,” the Prime Minister said.

“It is essential that we increase awareness, reduce stigma and empower young people to reach out for help.

“That’s why initiatives such as the OurHerd app and the batyr schools program are so important – they break down barriers, show young people they are not alone, and ensure more people know that help and support is available.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the additional funding for OurHerd will support approximately 60,000 young people aged 14-30 years with mild to moderate mental health needs, their families, carers and communities.

“Through peer-to-peer education and the sharing of stories of lived experience, batyr is helping more young people to get help before they reach a crisis point,” Minister Hunt said.

“This early support reduces the lifelong impacts of mental illness and saves lives.”

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said the funding injection backs batyr’s innovative and peer-led mental health and suicide prevention programs.

“Our Government has made mental health and suicide prevention a national priority and we are committed to ensuring all Australians, especially young Australians, can get the support they need, when and where they need it,” Assistant Minister Coleman said.

“Since inception, batyr has delivered over 2,500 programs reaching over 300,000 students and trained over 1,000 young people to safely share their stories of mental ill-health.

“Their approach is effective because their programs are designed by young Australians, for young Australians.”

The Morrison Government is delivering structural reform and real change in mental health and suicide prevention, and has invested $3 billion towards the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan since 2021-22.

This brings the estimated health portfolio expenditure in mental health and suicide prevention services and supports in 2022-23 to a record high of $6.8 billion, an increase of more than 100 per cent since we came to Government.

Unlike the Labor Party, which has not given Australians any detail on their plans for mental health, the Morrison Government will continue to ensure that all Australians can access information, advice, counselling, or treatment, when and where they need it.

Australians needing support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic can access the Beyond Blue Coronavirus Wellbeing Support Service any time via telephone at 1800 512 348 or online at coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au.

Anyone experiencing distress can also seek immediate advice and support through Lifeline (13 11 14), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health.

Young Australians needing support can access free services through Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), their local headspace or online through eheadspace.

If you are concerned about suicide, living with someone who is considering suicide, or bereaved by suicide, the Suicide Call Back Service is available at 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.