QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:53): You are absolutely right that we are making these investments because Labor governments will always protect and strengthen Medicare. Since coming to government, we have put money back into hospitals, made more medicines cheaper and gotten bulk-billing rates up again after a decade of freefall.

But we should be clear eyed about the risks. They are all over there, because the coalition's record is there for everyone to see: cuts to Medicare and cuts to public hospitals. They are all about cuts except once.

When it comes to voting for tax cuts, then they're not interested. But they are interested in cuts to public health, and sitting right next to them on many occasions, although not right now, is One Nation, a party whose biggest contribution to health policy is a commitment to abolish the TGA, the very body that keeps medicines safe for Australians. The coalition of chaos—all of those opposite—have never valued public health and they never will.

(Time expired)