Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Does the Prime Minister stand by his claim that his unfair GP tax is 'good policy'?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government has made an announcement in relation to the GP co-payment through Minister Ley. Minister Ley has, a short time ago, indicated that the GP co-payment as proposed is off the table for good, and that is where the government's policy position is.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Does the Prime Minister stand by his claim that his unfair GP tax 'makes economic sense, it makes health policy sense. Frankly, it makes fairness sense?' Does the Prime Minister stand by that claim?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recall somebody in this chamber saying that the emissions trading scheme and the carbon tax was the greatest moral challenge of our time, and then we saw them dump it. Senator Wong hardly comes with any credibility to this debate. Governments do from time to time change their position—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance to the question asked by Senator Wong. We have not got near an answer—we have heard about previous governments.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has more than half of his time left to answer the question. I remind the minister of the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to Medicare, we make no apology for saying that we are concerned about its sustainability, especially in circumstances where spending on Medicare has more than doubled in the last decade, from $8 billion in 2004 to $20 billion today, and it is expected to climb even higher, to $34 billion, by 2024. That is the trajectory and any responsible government would seek to deal—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I again raise a point of order on direct relevance. The question was about the Prime Minister's claim about the GP tax. We have not got close to that, and there are six seconds left.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind the minister that he has six seconds left in which to answer the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All these statements were made in the context of having a sustainable Medicare, and that is what we are working towards. (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the minister confirm that in relation to the GP tax this Prime Minister ignored the doctors, ignored the voters and ignored his own backbench and is now only dumping this attack on Medicare to save his political skin?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The short answer to that is no. Prime Minister Abbott was an exceptionally good minister for health and a very, very good friend of Medicare. Everybody in Australia who has any depth of knowledge in the health area acknowledges that. Of course those opposite do not have that depth of knowledge and that is why we have these immature squeaks of laughter from them when those facts are laid on the table. The government and the Prime Minister are absolutely concerned to make sure that Medicare is sustainable into the future. The big question is, what is Labor's answer to this dilemma or indeed any other dilemma that the Australian people face in the budgetary context? It is borrow, borrow, borrow, borrow and to hell with the next generation. They are not concerned about deferring today's responsibilities to the next generation but we are concerned about that. We want to ensure that the budget parameters, in health as well, are within the confines of a responsible budget. (Time expired)