Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for that question. There is really not an Australian who has not been touched by cancer, who has not suffered it themselves, who has not seen a friend or a family member lost or undergo treatment that may be successful but is so harsh.

Budgets are about choices. They are about alternative visions for the future. So while we have made responsible savings in this budget, we have also made a choice to invest in world-class cancer care. Australia's cancer patients now have the best overall survival rate in the world and we have a plan to build on that success with better research, better prevention, better treatment, more cures and better support for patients and their families. World-leading cancer care will make investments in cancers including breast, cervical, prostate, lung and bowel cancers to ensure that we continue to set the international benchmark. I am not sure why someone finds this funny.

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