Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister advise the House what the government is doing to ensure the sustainability of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme? Are there any alternative policies and, if so, what is the government’s response?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Casey for his question. This government does understand that the best possible health care cannot always come entirely free. No-one likes to see costs to patients rise but just occasionally it is necessary in order to ensure the sustainability of the system. This is why the government very reluctantly increased the PBS copayment so that the patient PBS contribution should be restored to roughly the level applying under the former Labor government. It is very important that ministers should give credit where it is due. I am very pleased to acknowledge that the member for Hotham strongly supported the government’s copayment decision. It was a difficult issue but he strongly supported it and now we have the faceless men of the Victorian Labor Party trying to eliminate the member for Hotham because, on this precise point of the PBS copayment, the member for Hotham fingered the rats in Labor’s ranks. I am quoting from The Latham Diaries on page 301:

A disgraceful Caucus meeting this morning.

Very truthful diaries according to the member for Lalor.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This was a question about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. It did have a tag line about alternative policies. If the Minister for Health and Ageing wants to talk about my policy for funding calcium and the like, I am more than happy for him to do so but—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will not debate points of order. I am listening closely to the minister’s answer.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lalor is somewhat self-absorbed, but I am not going to refer to the member for Lalor. I am quoting about the PBS:

A disgraceful Caucus meeting this morning. The geniuses were getting ready to roll—

McMullan—

on his PBS recommendation ...

…            …            …

Someone leaked news of the stoush to Channel Ten ...

Crean blames Smith, says he saw him scurrying out of the Caucus room to the phone.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the minister for health was asked about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and any alternative policies. That would have to refer to contemporary policies.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business would be well aware that there is only one standing order that applies to answers: that they shall be relevant. The minister continues to refer to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. He is in order.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am quoting from The Latham Diaries:

He—

Crean—

also reckons all the speakers against the PBS recommendation were Beazley supporters.

What we have is payback time for the member for Hotham’s principled stand on the PBS copayment. Saturday’s Weekend Australian said:

As Mr Crean and his Khmer language translator continue to visit the large number of Cambodian preselectors ...

I table some PBS documents in Khmer because it might help the member for Hotham in his doorknocking.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Has the minister completed his answer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I make this point—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have the call. A point of order had been taken on me. I make this point—

Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: there is only one standing order in relation to the answering of questions, but your predecessors from time to time have actually enforced it. I cannot for the life of me see how this is relevant.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Chief Opposition Whip will resume his seat, and I will remind him that if he wishes to reflect on the chair I will deal with him.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the minister in order to, I assume, make some political point has tabled a document in Khmer thinking that is funny. I actually happen to think that the issue of race and ethnicity is not something—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. There is no point of order. The member for Grayndler will resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler is warned!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I ask a point of order?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler has asked me to rule on a point of order. I have ruled and I have asked him to resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have not raised it.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you want to raise a point of order, you raise it immediately when you stand.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is it within standing orders to table documents in languages other than English in this parliament? Can you rule on that please?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Grayndler wishes to ask the Speaker questions, there is an appropriate time.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just did—a point of order.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the end of question time.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a point of order.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler has been reminded that, if he wishes to ask the Speaker questions, he does that at the appropriate moment.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, is it in order under standing orders and House of Representatives Practice to table something in another language?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. That is not a point of order.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have tabled some PBS documents to assist the member for Hotham in his doorknocking. I make the point that this is what the modern Labor Party has come to—a former alternative prime minister of this country is reduced to pleading for his political life through a translator. This is what they have come to. I am all in favour of migrants joining political parties but not to be robots for factional war lords.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Chief Opposition Whip is warned!

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The level of noise is totally unacceptable.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why is that? How is David Oldfield going?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler is warned!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition likes to talk about probity in government. What about a bit of probity in opposition? What about saying to those ethnic branch stackers, ‘Yes, I’ll give you a bit of good, old-fashioned Aussie freedom to vote for whoever you want in the Hotham preselection’?

Cameron Thompson (Blair, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Cameron Thompson interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Blair is warned!