Labor will need yet another backtrack to resurrect private health rebate cut
The Australian government is facing legislative hurdles in its attempt to remove private health insurance rebates for older citizens. The Greens party has signaled they will only support the measure if pensioners are exempted, creating a political standoff.
Why it matters
The outcome will determine the government's ability to fund aged care commitments and reflects broader tensions in Australian fiscal policy.
Mark Butler says the changes will secure billions of dollars needed to fund aged care commitments. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts )
Link copied Share Share article The ins and outs of some of the seemingly endless fights over the Albanese government's budget measures are often arcane or difficult for many people to easily understand.
That's the case, for example, with the legislation to crack down on trusts, introduced on Wednesday, which has been surrounded by a lot of heat.
But the tug of war over the government's plan to remove, from April next year, the age discrimination that favours older people taking out private health insurance is a very simple issue for voters to get their heads around, wherever they stand on the merits of the measure.
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