The time has come for Mr Crean to tell the Australian public the details of Labor's alternative health policy.
They have now had more than seven years. Surely that's long enough to develop some alternative ideas.
Dishonest misrepresentations are no substitute for coherent policy alternatives.
Now is the time to hear something positive and truthful from Labor.
Let us analyse Labor's position on bulkbilling. Yesterday the Opposition Leader said "I am guaranteeing to restore bulkbilling because we will lift the patient rebate, we will progressively restore bulkbilling in this country".
Perhaps the Opposition Leader might answer the following questions:
By how much would he lift the Medicare rebate for a standard GP consultation?
Does he acknowledge that the budget cost of each increase of $1 in the rebate is approximately $100 million a year?
Does he acknowledge that the AMA has sought an increase in the Medicare rebate of an additional $17?
Does he acknowledge that even a modest increase of $5 in the Medicare rebate would alone more than double the cost of the Government's recently announced measures?
What increase in the rebate does he believe is required to lift bulkbilling rates in areas where they are low, particularly in outer metropolitan and rural Australia?
Does he intend to either abolish or significantly means test the private health insurance rebate to pay for other health expenditure? If so in what way?
If he continues to support the private health insurance rebate how will Mr Crean fund additional health expenditure?
Will he rule out an increase in taxation?
Will he rule out an increase in the Medicare levy?
If he is prepared to increase the Medicare levy can we know by how much?
Given that the Government has laid out in precise detail its proposed policy changes to strengthen Medicare these are all legitimate questions to ask of the Opposition Leader.
For more than seven years Labor has sniped and scaremongered but under both Mr Beazley and Mr Crean failed abysmally to deliver an alternative health policy.
Health is too important a public policy area to continue as the play-thing of Labor's small target electoral strategy.
The Australian people know where the Coalition stands on this issue. We strongly support Medicare. We have announced measures to strengthen Medicare. We have proposed large funding increases for public hospitals. We strongly support private health structures.
Where does Labor stand? Australians have a right to know.