Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Let me make it absolutely clear for the record, for the public and for the medical profession: Labor introduced the Medicare freeze. They can run, they can hide, they can obfuscate and pretend, but they introduced the Medicare freeze. If there was any doubt, let me go to their own document—the 2013-14 budget. What does that budget say about the impact of their changes on Medicare funding? $664 million, but it is not a one-off hit. This was phased over four years, including this year—right now they would be saving $177 million—they would be cutting $177 million. So in 2013-14, $160 million from their freeze; 2014-15 an additional $153 million; 2015-16 an additional $173 million; and 2016-17 an additional $177 million. This year, this moment, this day the Labor freeze is still in place—this year it is still in place. Hypocrisy, obfuscation, a fantasy and a level of dishonourable dishonesty which belies the very reason people have entered this chamber. They are the authors, the owners and the creators of the Medicare freeze. As their own budget document sets out, it is still in action.

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