It’s time we asked: what is the cost not just to the budget, but to society, when the richest are helped to get richer?

The government announced it was going to spend $ 8.5bn over four years to fund an increase in bulk billing.

The question should be why, given how little it will cost, hadn’t it been done already? Talk of how we will pay things always comes up when the government intends to spend money on things that help low and middle-income earners.

We don't seem to worry as much when it comes to spending on things such as defence, or things that only serve to make the rich richer.

Peter Dutton has owned 26 properties over the past 35 years .

The richest 10% will get $ 27bn this year in tax breaks from capital gains tax discount, negative gearing and superannuation tax concessions.

The Treasury does not calculate how much revenue is foregone due to their use, but they know who uses them and again, it is overwhelmingly the richest.