House debates Questions without Notice
Health Services
Ross Vasta Bonner, Liberal Party
2:41 pm
My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister inform the House how public hospitals are performing under the Australian health care agreements? Are the state public hospitals performing as well as the Australian public has a right to expect? Are there any alternative policies and what is the government’s response?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
I thank the member for Bonner for his question. I can inform him that over the life of the current health care agreements the Commonwealth will provide $42 billion to the states for public hospital services, which is a 17 per cent real increase over the previous agreements. That $42 billion includes $8 billion for public hospitals in Queensland, which is a 21 per cent real increase. The Commonwealth has increased its funding. Let us give credit where it is due: the states have also increased their funding. In fact, the states have increased their funding more. The Leader of the Opposition likes to attack the blame game but one thing the blame game has done is that it has shamed the states into finally spending what they need to spend on their public hospitals. Thanks to this increased spending there are now 54,000 public hospital beds in this country. There are now 2,400 more public hospital beds than in 2004.
The Leader of the Opposition might think we are living under the jackboot heel of Howard’s ‘Brutopia’ but at least we have got more hospital beds, thanks to the policies of the Howard government. The Leader of the Opposition said the other day:
Remember I worked in Queensland from ’88 really until ’96 ... purely on schools, hospitals, water, environment, land rights, law and order—that was the bread and butter of my daily life ...
He is turning his back now because he does not like to be reminded of the silly things he has said. He said:
The thing about state governments is that ... people legitimately demand performance ...
I thought: how was this golden age of Christian socialism in Queensland? I discover that when the Leader of the Opposition was the de facto Premier of Queensland, three operating theatres at the Princess Alexandra Hospital were closed in August 1994 and three operating theatres at Royal Brisbane Hospital were closed in November 1994. Between 1989 and 1995 ‘Premier Rudd’, as he thinks of himself, closed 2,200 hospital beds in Queensland.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health
Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. I ask the minister to refer to members by their proper title.
Peter McGauran Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House
Mr McGauran interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry!
Christopher Pyne Sturt, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing
Mr Pyne interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Sturt is warned! I call the minister and remind him that he will refer to members by their title or their seat.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
These days the Leader of the Opposition says that his greatest hero is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or it might have been Keir Hardy, depending upon which journalist he is talking to. In those days the Leader of the Opposition was known as ‘Dr Death’ because he closed 2,200 hospital beds in Queensland.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order, going to standing order 64.
David Hawker Speaker
I make the point that, if the member would like that withdrawn, I will ask for it to be withdrawn.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Yes, it certainly should be withdrawn, Mr Speaker, obviously.
David Hawker Speaker
If the member finds it offensive, then the minister will withdraw that last accusation.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
I am a little confused. I simply referred to the Queensland public’s terminology. They called the Leader of the Opposition ‘Dr Death’ because of his record in Queensland public hospitals. If the Leader of the Opposition has an objection, he should raise it and he should let the flunkies sit down and stop fighting this fight for him.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Members:
David Hawker Speaker
Order! If members want to hold up their question time, they will keep interjecting! I call the member for Dawson.
De-Anne Kelly Dawson, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Mr Speaker, on a point of order, that term that the minister used was commonly used in the media and in the public arena in Queensland. He is quoting from the press of the day.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Warren Snowdon Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs
Mr Snowdon interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Lingiari will remove himself under standing order 94(a).
The member for Lingiari then left the chamber—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Mr Speaker, on the point of order, three members on this side have been warned for moving points of order, two members have been excluded and you allow this behaviour. He must withdraw it. He must withdraw that statement and withdraw it immediately without reservation.
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member will resume his seat and he will not reflect on the chair!
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
Mr Speaker, on the point of order, if the Leader of the Opposition asks me to withdraw because he finds it offensive, I will withdraw, but I am not going to withdraw for this one.
David Hawker Speaker
I say to the Manager of Opposition Business, I heard clearly what the minister said. If the Leader of the Opposition objects to that expression, he will ask for it to be withdrawn.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
To the point of order, are you suggesting, Mr Speaker, that anyone would not find that offensive?
David Hawker Speaker
If the Manager of Opposition Business wants to ask me a question, he will do so after question time.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Could anyone not find that offensive? It is offensive; it should be withdrawn.
David Hawker Speaker
I have listened carefully and the Leader of the Opposition has not asked for it to be withdrawn. Therefore he has not found it unparliamentary. I call the minister.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Mr Speaker, you indicated directly to me as Manager of Opposition Business that if there was an objection it would be withdrawn. If you check the Hansard you will see that that is what was said.
Bob McMullan Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations
Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker, I know of no precedent where you, having asked the minister to withdraw, allowed him to refuse and did nothing about it. It has never happened before in all the time I have been in the parliament and I do not know how you can stand for it.
David Hawker Speaker
I remind the member for Fraser that I said if the Leader of the Opposition found it offensive I would ask the minister to withdraw.
Bob McMullan Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations
Mr Speaker, that is neither what you said nor what the standing orders require. You said—
Bob McMullan Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations
With respect, I am reminding you but I am not reflecting. You said: ‘If the member finds it offensive I will ask the minister to withdraw.’ You asked him to withdraw and he refused.
Bob McMullan Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations
Mr McMullan interjecting
David Hawker Speaker
The member is well aware that the time to ask questions of the Speaker is after question time. I said that if the Leader of the Opposition found that expression offensive I would ask for it to be withdrawn. The Leader of the Opposition has not asked for it to be withdrawn.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Mr Speaker, I refer you to standing order 89:
A Member must not use offensive words against:
(a) either House of the Parliament or a Member of the Parliament;
Standing order 90—I am getting straight to the point of order—says:
All imputations of improper motives to a Member and all personal reflections on other Members shall be considered highly disorderly.
Standing order 91 goes to what action you should—
David Hawker Speaker
I am well aware of the standing orders! As the Manager of Opposition Business is well aware, the occupant of the chair is the determinant of the interpretation of the standing orders. In the specific instance, I have ruled that if the Leader of the Opposition finds that expression offensive he may ask for it to be withdrawn. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: does the Leader of the Opposition wish to have that withdrawn?
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Under standing order 90, I find the minister’s description of the Leader of the Opposition offensive and I ask that you have him withdraw it.
David Hawker Speaker
The member will resume his seat. I have just sought the opinion of the person in question, the Leader of the Opposition. He has not asked for it to be withdrawn. I call the minister.
Opposition Member:
Point of order, Mr Speaker.
David Hawker Speaker
I have ruled on that point of order. I call the minister.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House
I simply make the point that after the Leader of the Opposition’s record in Queensland, there is a clear message to the Australian people: do not let this man wreck Medicare like he wrecked the Queensland public hospital system.