Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I will correct two things from the senator: one, I have not betrayed anybody, least of all rural and regional Australia. I also correct the senator: there have been no cuts referred to the payments, as the senator said. The changes have been to the payments that are made directly to the providers. We need to be very, very clear that there have been no cuts to the rebate. Again, I draw the attention of those opposite to the fact that this was a program designed to increase the rates of bulk-billing in this sector and it has increased only 1.3 per cent since 2009.