Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I'm keen to understand what would happen in circumstances where the fund doesn't make a profit. Last year, for example, the fund wouldn't have made a profit, based on the information that's been provided in relation to how the fund might work—but we haven't seen the fund's mandate, so we actually are still a bit in the dark about exactly how you're going to run this fund. Minister, we know that there could be a situation where the fund actually loses money. There are quite clearly many opportunities for a fund of this nature not necessarily to make a five per cent return—a net return, because of course we have to pay interest on this fund before we actually start drawing any benefit from it. So I'm keen to understand: what is the mechanism for the guaranteeing of $500 million per year plus indexation? In circumstances where the fund does not generate the necessary $500 million, where is the money coming from?