Mr HUNT (Flinders—Minister for Health and Aged Care) (14:35): I'm very pleased to provide information for the member opposite. Medicare investment in new items is going up by $711 million in this budget. What that means is that we are seeing an increase. There should be no case for any increase for any patients anywhere in Australia in terms of their out-of-pocket costs. What we've actually seen in terms of out-of-pockets is an increase of 6.7 per cent in the bulk-billing rate, which means we've gone from 82 per cent of patients paying nothing to visit the GP under Labor to 88.7 per cent under us— Mr Conroy interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Shortland will leave under standing order 94(a). The member for Shortland then left the chamber. The SPEAKER: The minister will continue. Mr HUNT: That is a 6.7 per cent increase in the number of patients who are able to visit the doctor without having to pay. What that means is that we see an increase in the number of bulk-billed procedures, an increase in the level of bulk-billing. Critically, what we see as part of this is that there are multiple increases right across the Medicare schedule—new and amended items, increased items, all of these things that are occurring. What we have done is follow the advice of the doctors and the medical expert panels. There is one important difference here between the two sides. When the member for Hindmarsh was the minister in this space, what we saw was a $580 million cut to mental health under Medicare. They slashed it— The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat for a second. It was a very specific question. He has been relevant to it up till now, but he wasn't asked about any alternative policies and there is not an opportunity for commentary in that regard in answer to this question. The minister has the call. Mr HUNT: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat. The member for Macarthur on a point of order? Dr Freelander: My point of order is on relevance. The minister is not in any way answering the question. The SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. It is unfortunate timing on the point of order, because I've just ruled that the minister had been relevant up until that point. Unless the member for Macarthur found something particularly offensive about the three words the minister got out before he jumped—I led with my chin, then!—I call the minister. Mr HUNT: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. We have seen an increase of $711 million in new Medicare items and an increase of $6 billion in Medicare expenditure over the forward estimates. As the Acting Prime Minister said, we are medi-friends and ultimately they are medi-frauds.