George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Certainly not. Let me tell you what the year-on-year bulk-billing rates were. In 2012, in the September quarter, they were 81.7 per cent. In 2013 they had grown to 82.8 per cent, under the last year of the Labor government. In 2014 they had grown to 84 per cent—an increase of 1.2 per cent—under the coalition government. In 2015 they had grown again to 84.6 per cent—an increase of 0.6 per cent. As at the September quarter this year, they have grown yet again, to 85.4 per cent, under this coalition government. An increase from 82.8 per cent in the last quarter for which the government of which you were a member was in power to 85.4 per cent three years later hardly supports the assertion in your question.