Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I shall withdraw and say that the opposition perpetuated mistruths, misinformation, to mislead the Australian people—if that would be a satisfactory answer. That is at the heart of everything they're doing in this matter of public importance and everywhere else.

We know the record over the past five years of this government. The record is quite clear. We have record rates of Medicare bulk-billing. More Australians than ever before are accessing bulk-billing. If that's a record of failure to those opposite, I'd hate to see what a record of success is.

What this opposition has done is misled the Australian people at every point. We know there is more federal funding for public hospitals under this government—up from $13.3 billion to $22.7 billion nationwide. We know that the GP bulk-billing rate has gone up to 86.1 per cent, from 82.2 per cent in Labor's last year in government. Apparently, that was a success that they were prepared to own. But, when you increase it and deliver more for the Australian people, they declare it a failure somehow. They have the most appalling metrics.

But as the previous speaker, the member for Macarthur, mentioned—and I know within his heart he means well. Unfortunately, he has to sit on the other side of this parliament and parrot the lines that were given to him by the member for Ballarat. He has to repeat the narrative, even if it is baseless. I know he wrestles with the fact that, under this government, there have been 1,900 medicines listed on the PBS, which equates to one new medicine every day, because I know in his heart he actually does care.

But it isn't just about the past; it's also about the future, while we watch the comedy that rolls out in front of us. We have 30 new MRI licences to support more than—

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