Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The honourable member's nodding her head. I'm glad she agrees! She clearly didn't write the question she asked!

It's good times in Tasmania at the moment, and it's based on the optimism and determination of Tasmanians. One of the important things to do is to be up-front and tell the truth. We know that when you reduce taxes on business you give greater incentives to invest and get ahead, and we know that because every government, Labor and Liberal, has taken that view for years. In fact, the honourable member's leader, the member for Maribyrnong, very eloquently said, standing right here, 'Lower business tax means more investment, higher productivity, more jobs and higher wages.' The member for McMahon went into print, he was so enthusiastic about it. So we know that. That's providing the incentives that we're seeing in Tasmania. But it's important to tell the truth to Tasmanians.

The Leader of the Opposition said, on 28 May in Braddon, that the north-west regional hospital has had its funding cut. Let's have a look at that. In Labor's last full year in office, Commonwealth funding for Tasmania's public hospitals was $294 million. This year it's $418 million—an increase of 42 per cent—and that excludes the $730 million payment made to the state government in return for taking back the Mersey Community Hospital. In terms of the new five-year funding deal, Tasmania will receive an increase—an additional $373.6 million over five years from 2020. It's going to receive all of that extra money.

So what we're doing is: we're providing the incentives, we're providing the encouragement, for Tasmanians to invest and get ahead. And they're seeing that growth, especially in Braddon. Above all, we're showing the integrity to treat Tasmanians with respect, and not mislead them as Labor is doing. We're delivering more funding into public health in Tasmania, and the only reason we can keep doing that is because of the stronger economy supported by our economic plan.

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