Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I'm afraid the Prime Minister is rapidly becoming the George Costanza of Australian politics. Everyone remembers George in Seinfeld. Just like Seinfeld, this government has become a show about nothing. One of the most famous lines of George Costanza was, 'Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it.' What else could explain the misconceptions, the deceptions and the scare campaigns of a Labor Party election campaign? Every time the Prime Minister pulled out the Medicare card and said, 'This is all you need to see a doctor'—oh no—the Prime Minister was being very, very loose with the truth. He was channelling his inner George Costanza. It's not a lie if you believe it! The Prime Minister never mentioned that, during his time in office, Medicare bulk-billing rates have fallen. They've fallen under his leadership! Just last week his own health department confirmed that 23 per cent of GPs won't be taking up the new bulk-billing initiatives, but it's not a lie if you believe it! Just like the Prime Minister promised Australian families 97 times before the 2022 election that there would be a $275 reduction in energy bills, he has failed to deliver again. It's not a lie if you believe it, is it Prime Minister? (Time expired)

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