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

I can indicate to the chamber that the government is not ripping money from patients—end of story. There has been a lot of miscommunication about this particular issue from those on the other side. First up, there is absolutely no cut to the Medicare rebate. Let me repeat that: no cut to the Medicare rebate. What we have done is to take a decision to cease this bulk-billing incentive. This was funding that went out over seven years—$500 million of taxpayers' money for a one per cent increase in the bulk-billing rate. I think those across the country would think that that was not a good investment of taxpayers' money.

Those on the other side who believe that wasteful spending is the appropriate way forward is not agreed to by those on this side of the chamber. We will absolutely continue to make responsible decisions in the delivery of the taxpayers' dollars on behalf of those taxpayers. We will not be lectured to by those on the other side with their wasteful spending that left us with a trajectory to debt of $667 billion when we came into government. We will make sensible decisions for the future of this nation and that includes decisions around health spending.