Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

The sorts of comments that I made in answer to the senator's first question apply similarly here. Australians will be asked to make a modest contribution to the cost of their own health care. It was good enough for a previous Labor Prime Minister, Mr Hawke. The approach that doctors take is, of course, a matter for them. The request, on the part of the government, in introducing this policy is that we recognise that the MBS is absolutely unsustainable and that in a decade it will be at $34 billion. If we do not ask Australians to make this small contribution, then that will be—