Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I will make three points in conclusion. First, Medicare must be sustainable. A decade ago it was costing $8 billion, now it is costing $20 billion, a decade hence, and without appropriate action it will cost us $34 billion. This great Medicare system must be made sustainable and it will be by this government. Second, price signals in the system are not bad policy, they are good policy because they help to make people appreciate, as they do with the PBS, what they are getting largely courtesy of the taxpayer. Third, we want to see our world-class health and medical researchers properly funded and that is exactly why we are creating a world leading Medical Research Future Fund. We are absolutely up-front about the need to make Medicare sustainable. Only this government is in the business of making Medicare sustainable. The members opposite are in the business of making endless promises that this country simply cannot afford.

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