Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

There are a number of four-letter words that MPs are unable to use in this place, and rightly so. They're unparliamentary. They're not reflective of civil discourse in a polite Australian society. Of course, we, with the rest of Australia, may think them, but they don't leave our lips in this place. Recently, we've seen the enforcement of another four-letter word that is used in general discourse—a word that someone might be called for being dishonest, distrustful, evasive or false with their representations. The word, while unflattering, is valid when used in the correct situation. I won't use that word today, but I will call out a consistent approach to question time from those opposite that Australians are sick of seeing, and that is divert, deflect and deny.

This week, I asked a direct question from a constituent relating to the slashing of the private healthcare rebate for those over 65. This is a serious concern with serious consequences not only for older Australians struggling to pay their bills but for the public health system, more broadly. Instead of answering, the PM chose to play semantics and denied the issue. Many of those affected reached out to me yesterday, and I can tell you they did use the four-letter L-word. How can you trust a government if they refuse to answer basic questions?

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