QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:40): Senator Brown is asking exactly the right question. The Albanese government takes seriously our responsibility to deliver the care that Australians need while managing the budget responsibly. We invest in Medicare because we know that primary care makes a real difference.

It means seeing a bulk-billed GP to catch health problems early before a chronic condition becomes a more serious condition. It means that an older Australian who's had a bad fall can get care at a Medicare urgent care clinic rather than spending hours in an emergency department, and it means Australians can access critical medicines for no more than $25 a script through the PBS.

But delivering that essential care also requires responsible decisions about public money. That is why we are putting the NDIS on a more sustainable footing—so it can support Australians with permanent and significant disability for the long term. We are investing in quality care for older Australians while ensuring that the system remains sustainable for future generations.

That is responsible budget management—investing in the care that Australians need today while planning for tomorrow. Those opposite want to lecture Australians about spending restraint without explaining what they would cut. Mr Wilson let the cat out of the bag the other day.

He specifically pointed to home aged-care packages, saying that they needed to be controlled. Now, Senator Ruston is blocking changes which would fund more aged-care places by making the private health insurance rebate fairer. Those opposite demand fiscal restraint while, at the same time, committing fiscal vandalism in the same breath.

You cannot claim to care about aged care while blocking measures to fund more of it.