Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

They did vote against the private health insurance rebate changes that we introduced, which also were to make the health budget more sustainable into the future. Any government should be focusing on measures that improve outcomes for Australians—for patients, for the sick—rather than simply trying to raise revenue, trying to cut costs and trying to make things much, much worse for those sick, elderly and vulnerable Australians who cannot afford the increases in medication prices that are part of this budget. They are in this bill and, as I said, they do come on top of a whole range of other measures in the budget that will attack families, attack low-income earners, attack pensioners and attack the sick and the vulnerable in our community. I am very pleased to be standing here opposing the measures in this bill and opposing other measures in this budget that are so unfair on so many vulnerable young Australians who cannot afford these increases. I am very pleased that we are opposing this bill.

Debate interrupted.

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