Anne Ruston defends past comments that Medicare ‘is not sustainable’ after PM names her as health minister if re-elected

Minister says Coalition is not cutting Medicare' as Labor accuses her of wanting to take the universal out of universal healthcare'

• Read Guardian Australia's full federal election coverage
• Download the free Guardian app; get our morning email briefing

Labor says the appointment of Anne Ruston to the health portfolio in a re-elected Coalition government would mean cuts to Medicare, pointing to past comments by the senator that the costs of the health scheme were unsustainable.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced on Sunday that Ruston would take over the health and aged care ministry vacated by the retiring Greg Hunt, if the Coalition wins the election on 21 May.