Ken Ticehurst (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister outline to the House how the government is improving preventative health measures and helping to treat chronic disease? Are there any alternative policies, and 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 Dobell for his question. I regret to inform him and the House that at a conference last week the member for Gellibrand accused the government of ignoring what she called a veritable ‘tsunami’ of chronic disease, which she said was threatening to overwhelm our system. In making this over-the-top claim, the member for Gellibrand showed her inexperience and her ignorance of how our health system is actually improving.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Roxon interjecting

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

If she just listened, she might learn something. For the benefit of the member for Gellibrand, I inform the House that last year nearly—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 64.

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

As I heard it the minister was referring to the member by the name of her seat. I call the minister.

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

For the benefit of the member for Gellibrand, let me remind her and the House that last year nearly 650,000 people—

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you going to get your figures right this time?

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

Order! The minister has the call.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Roxon interjecting

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

Order! The member for Gellibrand will cease interjecting.

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

Last year nearly 650,000 people with chronic illness benefited from GP care plans. More than 250,000 people benefited from team care plans coordinated by their GPs, and these team care plans involved more than half a million allied health consultations. Also last year nearly 250,000 senior Australians benefited from comprehensive health checks under Medicare. This means that the government directed nearly $200 million in Medicare funding towards preventative health and chronic disease. That is nearly $200 million directly targeting preventative health and chronic disease under the policies of the Howard government.

I want to make very clear that the Howard government are spending this money through private doctors and through private health professionals. We are not and we will not spend this money building giant socialist bureaucracies or even Christian socialist bureaucracies—that is not our style. Last week I noticed the Leader of the Opposition, who says he is not a socialist and never has been, and who in the past has repeatedly called—

Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Crean interjecting

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

The member for Hotham is warned.

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

for the ALP to drop the socialisation objective, rolled over in the face of party pressure. The Sunday Telegraph says:

KEVIN Rudd has rejected a move to drop Labor’s socialist platform at the party’s national conference in April.

I say again: will the real Kevin Rudd please stand up?

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

Order! The minister will refer to members by their title.

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

His Queensland Labor colleagues once said that the only socialist thing about him was his haircut—his Depression era haircut.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members are holding up their own member.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 64 once again.

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

I say to the Manager of Opposition Business I have already drawn that standing order to the minister’s attention. I am sure he is aware of it and he will continue to abide by it.

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

I ask for the real Leader of the Opposition to stand up and all we get is the member for Grayndler. His Queensland Labor colleagues said that the only socialist thing about him was his haircut. Why doesn’t he have the guts to actually repeal the socialisation objective of his party, which he said he would?

Last week the member for Gellibrand said that the threat of chronic illness was as great as the threat of climate change. I say to her: you cannot make apocalyptic claims like that without some serious policies to deal with them. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: if you do not have—

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Roxon interjecting

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

Order! The member for Gellibrand is warned.

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

a health policy you are not a serious politician. But what more could we expect from someone whose only practical experience of health was to close 2,200 public hospital beds in Queensland and earn the well-earned nickname of Dr Death, which certainly is not objectionable as far as he is concerned?