Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The short answer to that is no. Prime Minister Abbott was an exceptionally good minister for health and a very, very good friend of Medicare. Everybody in Australia who has any depth of knowledge in the health area acknowledges that. Of course those opposite do not have that depth of knowledge and that is why we have these immature squeaks of laughter from them when those facts are laid on the table. The government and the Prime Minister are absolutely concerned to make sure that Medicare is sustainable into the future. The big question is, what is Labor's answer to this dilemma or indeed any other dilemma that the Australian people face in the budgetary context? It is borrow, borrow, borrow, borrow and to hell with the next generation. They are not concerned about deferring today's responsibilities to the next generation but we are concerned about that. We want to ensure that the budget parameters, in health as well, are within the confines of a responsible budget. (Time expired)