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

I thank the member for Grey for his question and his great interest in health matters, particularly in regional areas in South Australia. We have announced in the budget a modest co-payment of $7 because we want to make Medicare sustainable with an ageing population and all the costs of medical technologies. We have been lectured by Labor that this is an unfair measure, that it is unfathomable that you would charge $7 as a co-payment, bearing in mind that four out of five services, where people turn up to a GP at the moment, are given for free.

I have not looked at Labor's words; I have looked at their deeds. We know that when Labor were in government, they introduced a co-payment, not just on the PBS but on the MBS as well. And I have looked at two other jurisdictions where the Labor Party is in government.

I looked at South Australia, because they were lecturing as well about this $7 co-payment, and I came across this document which talks about co-payments for adult public dental care. I thought that surely the Labor Party could not be charging a co-payment for health services in their public hospitals after they have been lecturing the Commonwealth about a $7 co-payment. Surely, their co-payment must be less—$3 or $4, surely, if they are so sanctimonious about $7.

Ms King interjecting—

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