David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is not worse; it is better! Let us turn to the pillars of the universal health care system: the Medicare Benefits Schedule; the pharmaceutical benefits advisory system; and the subsidies on drugs, public hospitals and soon, if we ever salvage it, a personally controlled e-health record. Let us start with the public hospitals. Since the coalition assumed responsibility for the treasury bench, the increases to public hospitals has been six per cent over four years. That is a total of almost 25 per cent more over four years, and $3.8 billion in real terms, for the states for their public hospitals. The member for Maribyrnong made a big song and dance about cuts, but $3.8 billion over four years is not a decrease. In fact all of the arguments about the so-called cuts to the states are based on calling a smaller increase a cut. To me a cut means you get less than you got last year. It is like the guy who gets promised a $100 a week pay rise from his boss and then, two weeks later, the situation changes and the boss comes in and says, 'I can only give you an $80 a week increase.' Members on the other side would call that a $20 cut instead of an $80 increase! They are simple principles.

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