Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

Just to clarify a couple of facts in this debate, I have been asking questions on health in this place. I have asked them of the Prime Minister over the course of the last two years because we cannot get a straight answer out of this health minister. We moved an amendment in relation to this bill only a few minutes ago. I am not sure if the minister recalls that debate and, in fact, that vote. If it rings a bell, Minister, we did move an amendment, which the government, of course, did not support.

I want the minister to provide in detail some response, as is required in this debate by any standard. The minister put before that essentially I wanted answers but then provided no answer. This is a performance authority, yes, but if there is not performance, what is the penalty? Is there a financial penalty that is imposed? Is money withheld? Can you demand from a state health minister particular outcomes at particular hospitals?

What happens, Minister, if we see a tragic situation occur in a public hospital in a month's time after this legislation receives royal assent? How does that differ from your response today? What is the purpose of this legislation if you cannot direct change in our public hospitals? What is the purpose, if you have surrendered every aspect of responsibility that the Commonwealth wanted from this piece of legislation and you have provided that to the state and territory ministers? What has all of this debate been about over the course of the last three or four years, where the Labor Party have said that they want to fix public hospitals? That is a promise that has long been abandoned.

Can the minister answer the question? If performance does not improve—in fact, if it deteriorates—in a public hospital somewhere in the country, what can she do as a result of this legislation? These are basic questions that the minister continues to refuse to answer. If people can look to this government and see any sincerity in what it is they are proposing by this legislation then I think the minister needs to get to her feet now and answer these reasonable questions so that we can at least have some faith that we are moving forwards and not backwards.

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