Medicare has become a key feature of the federal election battle, and Labor leader Bill Shorten has been leading the charge.

Dr Jennings said on Tuesday that there were several examples of how Medicare was already being privatised. 

He said Mr Turnbull had set up a $5 million privatisation of Medi-care taskforce within the government, however, it was put on hold for the duration of the campaign. 

“That was looking at outsourcing the whole of the payment system for Medicare,” Dr Jennings said.

He said Telstra had also been awarded a lucrative $220 million, five-year Federal Government contract to build and operate a National Cancer Screening Register using data from non-profit run registers.

Dr Jennings said Australia now had a private-profit driven company, that answers to shareholders, managing the cancer registration database. 

He said the Coalition’s credibility was already very poor because it told voters there would be no cuts to health or education.

“They promised it, just like Malcolm Turnbull is doing now, and then they did the opposite,” Dr Jennings said.

But Nationals candidate for Calare, Andrew Gee, called the ALP’s privatisation claim “the big lie” of the campaign.

“Labor is hoping that if they say it often enough, they’ll hoodwink some voters into believing it and supporting them,” he said.

“I think it’s a sign of political desperation.

“As the prime minister has stated clearly, the Turnbull government will never privatise or outsource any part of Medicare.”

Nick Xenophon Team candidate Rod Bloomfield said he was completely opposed to any part of Medicare being privatised. 

“There is no doubt that a committee was set up by the Coalition to look into the privatisation of Medicare,” he said.

“Turnbull said he has scrapped all plans, and we have to take him at face value, but I don’t blame Labor for being sceptical.”