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

I am delighted to answer this question, because in last year's budget we made a $2 billion-dollar, 10-year commitment to diagnostic imaging. Let me repeat that: a $2 billion-dollar, 10-year commitment to diagnostic imaging. That was about ensuring two critical things: firstly, that we would retain the bulk-billing incentive for diagnostic imaging—a very important step which happened on our watch, in our time. We made that decision as part of the first budget in health in which I was privileged to be a part.

Secondly, and very significantly, we indicated that we would become the first government in almost two decades to index a series of diagnostic imaging items: mammography, fluoroscopy, CT and interventional. None—let me repeat!—not one of those was indexed at any time under Labor's period in government. Not one! Not mammography, not fluoroscopy, not CT and not interventional items, yet each of those will be indexed under us. So a $2 billion-dollar commitment is exactly what we've done.

Actually, in relation to MRIs: only a couple of weeks ago I visited Frankston Hospital, with its new MRI licence, with the Treasurer and the member for Dunkley. What you see there—

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