Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Australians want to know: is the Prime Minister still committed to forcing families to pay his new GP tax every time they visit a doctor?

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

I am very committed and the government is very committed to keeping our Medicare system sustainable. That is what we want: a sustainable Medicare system. We want a sustainable Medicare system. A decade ago, Medicare cost us $8 billion. Today it costs us $10 billion.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on my left as the answer is listened to.

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

In a decade's time, it will cost us $34 billion. It was $8 billion ten years ago, it is $20 billion today and it will be $34 billion in a decade's time. We have to make our great Medicare system sustainable. That is the first point to make. The second point to make is that there is nothing wrong with having price signals in the system—nothing wrong at all with having price signals in the system. It was in fact the great former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, who first proposed a price signal in the Medicare system. The Labor Party's Assistant Treasurer supports a price signal in our health system. The member for Jagajaga supported a review process.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When questions are asked, I am not going to have this perpetual wall of noise and interjection going on while an answer is being given. If it is to continue, many people will leave the chamber. Those who want early marks can have them.

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

The third principle is that we do want to fund the Medical Research Future Fund.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I warn the member for Moreton!

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

We do want to ensure that Australia's outstanding medical researchers, those who are so good at creating the treatments and cures of the future, are properly supported in the years to come.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I warn the member for Ballarat!

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

We need a sustainable Medicare; we think there should be price signals in the system—we think that is good policy; we do want to see the Medical Research Future Fund take shape; and we are talking constructively and collegially with crossbench senators. We would be happy to talk to members opposite! If only they were not so determined to sabotage good public policy, we would be happy to talk to members opposite—if they were prepared to be part of the solution, having created the problem.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are the problem!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Greenway!

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

That is what is happening. We want a sustainable Medicare, we want to see price signals in the system, we want to see the Medical Research Future Fund take shape and we are talking to the crossbenchers in the Senate to bring about all these good ends.