Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In 2005-06 there was $264 million. That was his third year as health minister. In 2006-07 there was $372 million. That was his fourth year as health minister. But, as the Minister for Finance and Deregulation informed the House, the parliament and the country today, if you went to the Department of Health and Ageing and sought clarification about what was in the forward estimates for 2007-08, it was another $497 million taken out. This adds up to a figure in excess of $1 billion; we have been generous in what we have said about the gouge out of the system by the Leader of the Opposition.

On each one of these things what we have had is a Leader of the Opposition caught out in absolute embarrassment, not telling the truth to the parliament about these matters. But on the overall reform of the system—the overall gouge and its impact on the health and hospital system of Australia—what was the ultimate excuse of the Leader of the Opposition today, not 1996, not any of that but this one—the pearler of them all? Yes, it was, ‘We were about to start tackling the public hospital system when we lost office.’ Is it any wonder no-one has any confidence in anything this Leader of the Opposition has to say about health and hospitals reform? He has not told the truth about his billion-dollar gouge, he has no plan for the future and he only said he was going to act five minutes before the last election.

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

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