Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister agree with the member for Bowman, who writes in today's Daily Telegraph:

Announcing a co-payment at last year's Budget and without any real explanation showed the policy for what it was: all about the money and nothing about quality.

Prime Minister, was it all about the money and nothing about the quality of health care for Australians?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did read the article. I thought it was a very good article. I thought it was rather good of the member for Bowman to, amongst other things, suggest that one of the best-ever health ministers had in fact been someone whom modesty prevents me from naming!

As I said in this House yesterday, one of the things that I should have remembered from my days as a health minister is that effective health reform requires the close cooperation of the medical profession and the other great health professions of this country, and we did not sufficiently take the medical profession into our confidence at times last year. Now, I blame myself for this; I really do. There was much consultation between the then minister and the medical profession—not enough from me. So I think the member for Bowman made a perfectly fine contribution to this debate this morning.

Ms King interjecting—

What we are determined to do is ensure our great Medicare system is stronger in the future than it is now. That is what we are determined to do. We are determined to protect the vulnerable. In particular, we are determined to protect bulk-billing for children and for concession card holders. We are absolutely determined to do that and we are determined to do—

Ms King interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat will desist!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

what we can, in close consultation—close and collegial consultation—with the medical profession, to make our great system even better. Unlike members opposite, who gradually eroded Medicare, who were not really concerned about working with the medical profession, we will deliver. We will deliver a much better healthcare system as a result of our efforts.