Ms Catherine King Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
2:54 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. The government is cutting some $270 million from the Medicare safety net meaning cancer patients receiving life-saving radiation oncology could pay $12,000 for their treatment. Reports today state that the government has delayed legislating this cut until after the Canning by-election. Is this not just another example of the Prime Minister hiding cuts from voters before an election? And do not the voters of Canning deserve the truth?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The truth is that when members opposite were in government, they cut $1.8 billion out of Medicare. That is what they did.
Ms Plibersek interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The proposals that this government has to make some adjustments in the area that the shadow minister mentioned—
Ms Macklin interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
flow from independent reviews conducted by the former government in 2009 and 2011.