When GP Dr Paul Duff rose nervously to his feet to query federal Health Minister Mark Butler about the continued abuse of general practice, he read the question from a piece of paper to make sure he nailed the wording.

At the time the GP was in the audience of the ABC TV show Q+A, sitting next to his wife, Dr Fiona McKnight, also a GP.

His initial question was simple, although he admits he had spent three days putting it together.

He wanted to know why, despite the recent announcements of $8 billion in bulk-billing incentives, he should trust any government “to not simply go back to neglecting Medicare and damaging general practice?”