As the federal election campaign has entered its third week, attention is turning to who is better at managing health spending.
Labor has accused the government of penny-pinching over Medicare, as Malcolm Turnbull and his health minister admit they will not lift a freeze on GP rebates until the budget allows.
The federal opposition put health on the election agenda when Bill Shorten pledged a Labor government would lift the freeze from next January at a cost of $2.4 billion over four years.
Health Minister Sussan Ley appeared to back the idea in principle when asked about it on ABC radio at the start of the third week of the campaign.
"It's not just Labor that understands the importance of our policies on saving Medicare, on unfreezing the GP rebates, on keeping downward pressure on the cost of pharmaceutical prescriptions," Mr Shorten said.
"No less a person than Mr Turnbull's own minister for health has today said that she doesn't support the policies of the government and instead says she's been rolled by other people in the government."
Mr Turnbull told reporters on the NSW south coast the freeze would end "at some point".
