Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

The purpose of this budget is to build a strong, prosperous Australia and a safe, secure future. MBS expenditure has been growing at an unsustainable rate. Ten years ago it was $10 billion. Today it is $19 billion. It is projected, over the next decade, to reach $38 billion. Any sensible and responsible government knows that we have to place that expenditure on a sustainable footing, that we have to ensure that Australia can afford a strong Medicare into the future. We are asking patients to make a small contribution to the cost of their care to their GP while still protecting those that are most vulnerable. We are keeping faith with our commitment to the Australian people. The fundamental action is being able to get the economy back on track. We made a promise to the Australian people that we would fix the economy, that we would ensure we had a safe and secure future for this nation, and that is what we will be doing.