Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

We're very clear about our approach on this side of the chamber, Senator Ananda-Rajah. When we came to government in 2022, there was a lot of damage to be repaired—damage caused by those opposite. We are repairing it with more bulk-billing, with cheaper medicines and with more urgent care clinics.

Everyone here remembers their approach. They promised no cuts to health. Then, what did they do? The cut $428 million from health in the 2014 budget. Everyone remembers what Senator Ruston said at the time. She said:

Everybody would like to think that we could go on in life with universal healthcare, with universal education and with all these wonderful things that over the last 20 years Australians have come to accept as a given. Unfortunately, the credit card is maxed out.

That is the position they took. Well, their six-year freeze on the Medicare rebate ripped billions out of Medicare. We are repairing that damage, strengthening Medicare with more bulk-billing, cheaper medicines and more urgent care.