Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

(—) (): I completely reject the premise of this question. This government is focused on putting Australia on a stronger foundation for the future. That includes making sure that Medicare remains strong for the medium to long term, that we protect Medicare and that the benefits of Medicare are available to patients across Australia for many, many years to come. We are facing some challenges as a nation. We are facing some challenges in the context of an ageing population, in the context of increasing costs of health care and in the context of improvements in medical technology and the like. We are working to come up with the best possible way forward that protects vulnerable patients but also seeks to ensure that funding for timely and affordable access to quality health care for patients remains affordable for taxpayers over the medium to long term. That is our responsibility as a government, and we will continue to work in the best interests of Australians. (Time expired)