Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Petrie for that very important question. I have to say that, by and large, the Commonwealth and the states have worked very well and very cooperatively together on health reform. In fact, last year we struck a deal that will increase hospital funding by $20 billion over the next decade. In the case of Queensland, Labor have committed about $13½ billion for health facilities and for hospital services under that agreement. These investments have ranged from very big ticket items, like almost one quarter of a billion dollars for the Townsville Hospital upgrade or $210 million for seven regional cancer centres across Queensland, to smaller but no less important investments, like half a million dollars for the extension of the Bloomhill cancer therapy house, which I was delighted to open with Senator Claire Moore recently. Indeed, in the member for Petrie's electorate there is investment like $7 million into the North Lakes hospital renal unit.

I hear today that there are plans from those opposite to outsource health to the states. I am all for devolving decision making to a local level where we can. Indeed, that is why we have established 136 local hospital networks and that is why we have established Medicare Locals. It is curious, however, that the only single health policy we have heard from those opposite is the smashing of Medicare Locals. So, on the one hand, we have the finance shadow minister talking about outsourcing health to the states and then, on the other hand, we have another shadow minister talking about smashing devolution—

Mr Dutton interjecting—

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