Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to reports that the Prime Minister plans to shelve his unfair GP tax for the moment. Does the Prime Minister still agree with his statement in September that his unfair GP tax is 'good policy'?

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

I am very happy to reassure the shadow minister who asked the question, as I have earlier reassured the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, that this government is determined to protect and sustain our great Medicare system. We are absolutely determined to protect and sustain our great Medicare system. For four years as health minister I protected and sustained Medicare, as its best friend; and as Prime Minister I say we will protect and sustain our great Medicare system—a system which looks after Australians, which particularly looks after vulnerable Australians. We will protect bulk-billing for vulnerable Australians; and, to that end, the Minister for Health is continuing to have discussions with the medical profession. That is what you would expect. We want to work constructively with the medical profession and other health professionals to make a good system even better.