Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I can, Senator Payman. Thank you very much for the question. I think a very key part of this budget is how much, with the upgrades to revenue, we have put back to budget repair: 87 per cent over the last two budgets in revenue upgrades to the budget, compared with about 40 per cent under the previous administration. This shows how serious we are around fiscal repair, ensuring that we avoid borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt and paying the interest on that debt. To do so, we have ensured that we are putting the budget on a more sustainable footing, which allows us to make critical investments in things like Medicare—things that people value; tripling the bulk-billing incentive—putting a range of measures in place to ensure people can have their healthcare needs looked after, including those with chronic disease. In terms of the bulk-billing incentive, 11.6 million Australians will benefit from that measure alone.