House debates
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Matters of Public Importance
Medicare
3:50 pm
Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source
Labor is hypocritical on health policy. We all remember Labor's campaign launch last year, where, in a zombie voice, the Leader of the Opposition called on Australians to save Medicare. When the zombie voice comes out, the fake news follows. He scared millions of Australians. He is the best friend 'Mediscare' ever had. Labor's announcement at the last election had all the genuineness of a Milli Vanilli single. It had all the truth of the Ern Malley hoax.
It's one thing to disagree with the government's policy; it's another thing to completely make it up. That's what the Leader of the Opposition did with his fractured fairytale that was Mediscare. The 2017 budget put $94.2 billion into health care, with the Medicare Guarantee Fund being established to secure the ongoing funding of the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, guaranteeing access to those services. We provided for the Medicare levy, paid into the fund, topped up by personal income tax, to continue the MBS and the PBS. Medicare represents $1 in $3 of the healthcare budget, and it's increasing every single year.
Mr Hill interjecting—
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