Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I will make sure with the introduction of the co-payment that we will have the capacity that those people who can pay the seven-dollar co-payment will pay the seven dollars, but we will retain bulk-billing. We will retain bulk-billing, which is incredibly important. I believe very strongly, as the AMA says that they are in support of a co-payment in principle, that we will introduce a system that will have sustainability.

It is true, as I look opposite and I see former union boss after former union boss, that these people are not anything on people like Brian Howe, Graham Richardson and Bob Hawke. These are pea hearts of the Australian Labor movement in the modern age. That is the reality. These people are not a patch on former Labor greats.

Let me say this: we have outed the member for Fraser as a supporter of the co-payment, and he is a sensible person on this topic. Let's give him credit. Bob Hawke and Brian Howe supported a co-payment because they said without the co-payment Medicare was not sustainable. But I do know one thing: there is a sleeper opposite and we are about to out the sleeper—the supporter for a Medicare co-payment. We know the member for Fraser is a supporter. We know Bill Shorten will adopt every position that suits his position at that point in time. Who is the sleeper? Jenny Macklin, the member for Naga Naga. She is a supporter of a co-payment and I am going to spend more time on it soon.

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