Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I will certainly do so, Mr Deputy Speaker. So let me be quite particular with the words I use. It is very clear that the shadow Assistant Treasurer held the view that it is not radical for there to be a co-payment with respect to medical consultations, and, furthermore, that the fundamental problem with the so-called free provision of a service is that it leads to overconsumption. I have no doubt that the aspirational side of the shadow Assistant Treasurer means that he has now got to walk away from his economics background, and he has now got to walk away from his true belief.

But that goes to the very core of the point I make, which is that there is, understandably, a clear understanding on this side of the House, and among the general public, that this amendment has been moved for the very same reason that the shadow Assistant Treasurer jumped to his feet just now, and indeed the exact same reason that the shadow Assistant Treasurer offered a personal explanation, and indeed the same reason why the shadow Assistant Treasurer has walked away from his belief that a co-payment is good policy—for one reason and one reason alone, and that is that the shadow Assistant Treasurer wants to make sure that he is in lock-step with Labor Party policy. And so—

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