Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

She wondered what, would Peter say? What would Peter do? What examples can I draw from his time as the health minister? Well, it turns out that's exactly what she did, because, far from correcting course from that disastrous horror budget, the Leader of the Opposition as health minister instead doubled down on the Dutton agenda. She doubled down on the hospital cuts to our hardworking public hospital doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. She marked herself out as the only health minister in memory never to increase the Medicare rebate—not once. Even Peter Dutton managed to increase it once. She grabbed that Medicare rebate freeze and she made her own. In the 2016 budget, the Leader of the Opposition extended that Medicare rebate freeze right out to the rest of the decade.

By contrast, we're strengthening Medicare. We're rolling out more bulk-billing, more urgent care clinics, more doctors and nurses, and cheaper medicines—and, in the meantime, fixing up the mess left by the Leader of the Opposition.

See this speech in context