Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for the question. It is a serious question and a serious issue. I do not think it is appropriate in the House for us to be doing anything that would be unnecessarily scaring the markets. We on this side of the House take very seriously that the regulation not just of the health insurance industry but of a range of other insurance and banking industries needs to be taken care of in this difficult time.

I am not going to try to answer this on the run, because I think that it is far more important to make sure that we dignify what is a serious question, in difficult financial circumstances, with a careful response. I will consult with both the Treasurer and our minister responsible for prudential regulation in the other place to see if there are any issues that are of current concern to the health industry.

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