John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Can I say in reply to the Leader of the Opposition that, whatever delusions of grandeur he may have, prime ministers, or indeed putative prime ministers, cannot suspend the Constitution of this country. Nothing in the reading of a section from the Constitution alters the fact that, to borrow my phrase, for time immemorial the states have provided for public dental treatment. And it was because there were long waiting lists at state dental hospitals that the Keating government introduced a one-off plan. When we inherited a parlous fiscal position in 1996 we took advice. We found that those waiting lists had been reduced and the program, having fulfilled its goals, was therefore terminated.

I simply ask: why is the Leader of the Opposition stealing $100 million from a dental program designed to help the elderly, the sick and the chronically ill in this country? Our program is worth $384 million. It will assist 200,000 people. It was opposed in the parliament last night. The shadow minister made it very clear in her speech that the Labor Party would use the $384 million to fund their own plan, and their own plan is only going to cost $290 million. I simply ask: where is the $100 million? How can it be good public policy to take that $100 million from a dental program that is due to start in a few weeks time and replace it with an inferior program that merely gives $290 million to the states? I do not think the quality of public health administration in the states warrants them getting $290 million out of a Commonwealth program worth $384 million. No government in this country is perfect but, when it comes to public health, the most imperfect governments of all are state Labor governments. I would not give them another $290 million. I would keep the $384 million in the Abbott program, which is going through the parliament at the present time, which will benefit 200,000 Australians.

I advise the Leader of the Opposition to put away the Constitution and to exercise a bit of common sense. I was fascinated by the lecture I received from Rudd J on the meaning of the Constitution. The truth is that, for time immemorial, states have been looking after public dental clinics. And for time immemorial those state Labor governments have been failing in their responsibilities. Our program will do something practical about it and ought to be supported—it ought not be short-changed.

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