Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health, and may I pass on my personal congratulations on the great job he is doing in ensuring the sustainability of our health system in this country. Will the health minister inform the house about how the government is protecting the universality of Medicare in the budget? How does this differ from alternative policy approaches?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the Hon. Minister for Health, but I would advise the member for Herbert that we do not need those preambles.

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

I thought it was okay, Madam Speaker! Thank you very much to the member for Herbert for his question. All of us on this side of the parliament, are determined—absolutely determined—to strengthen Medicare; to make sure that we remain the best friend that Medicare has ever had.

I am sorry to say that when you look at those opposite, they are a shadow of their former selves. If you look back to the great Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, the last great Labor leader, he was a supporter of a co-payment because in his own words, he wanted to make sure that we could sustain Medicare going forward. At the moment in our country, for a population of 23 million people, we provide 263 million free services a year.

We cannot give everything for free to everyone on the credit card, which is Labor's proposal. That is not sustainable. We cannot be spending $20 billion a year on Medicare as we do today; we were spending $8 billion a year 10 years ago, going out to $34 billion in 10 years' time. We have to strengthen and modernise Medicare because, if we do not, we will go down Labours path of destruction, and debt, and deficit and borrowing money to pay interest and to pay the health bill. It is unsustainable.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's from Queensland and he's wearing a blue tie!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Chifley will desist!

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

I will make sure with the introduction of the co-payment that we will have the capacity that those people who can pay the seven-dollar co-payment will pay the seven dollars, but we will retain bulk-billing. We will retain bulk-billing, which is incredibly important. I believe very strongly, as the AMA says that they are in support of a co-payment in principle, that we will introduce a system that will have sustainability.

It is true, as I look opposite and I see former union boss after former union boss, that these people are not anything on people like Brian Howe, Graham Richardson and Bob Hawke. These are pea hearts of the Australian Labor movement in the modern age. That is the reality. These people are not a patch on former Labor greats.

Let me say this: we have outed the member for Fraser as a supporter of the co-payment, and he is a sensible person on this topic. Let's give him credit. Bob Hawke and Brian Howe supported a co-payment because they said without the co-payment Medicare was not sustainable. But I do know one thing: there is a sleeper opposite and we are about to out the sleeper—the supporter for a Medicare co-payment. We know the member for Fraser is a supporter. We know Bill Shorten will adopt every position that suits his position at that point in time. Who is the sleeper? Jenny Macklin, the member for Naga Naga. She is a supporter of a co-payment and I am going to spend more time on it soon.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind people, including ministers, that they will refer to people by their correct titles. It is the member for Jaga Jaga.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: it was an extremely offensive and sexist remark and he should withdraw.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is precisely why I dealt with it. Before we proceed any further, firstly, I do not think I am interested in hearing about sexist remarks. Secondly, I wish to advise the chamber that we have Mr Sandy Mackenzie, the former member for Calare, with us in the gallery today. And we have a lot of schoolchildren who are watching us here today and, I have to say, are much better behaved.

Honourable members interjecting—

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Save for your university fees!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I am on my feet we will have silence, thank you, from both sides. The Leader of the Opposition gets considerable latitude and I must say to him that was quite out of order and I would like him to apologise for being so out of order.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I was not looking in your direction and I do apologise—I did not realise you were still on your feet.