Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
3:57 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
I do, Mr Speaker, and most grievously.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
In question time today and on numerous previous occasions, members opposite have claimed that I—and I am quoting more or less what they say—‘ripped a billion dollars out of hospital funding’. I seek to make two points. First of all, rather trivially, I was not the relevant minister at the time of the 2003 budget. Secondly, and more importantly, I am now reading from page 179 of Budget Paper No. 2 of 2003-04, which states:
The funding for 2003-04 to 2007-08—
this is the health care agreement, public hospital funding—
represents an increase of $10 billion over the last agreements.
This demonstrates that the claims repeatedly made opposite are simply not true. They are lies.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The Leader of the Opposition has completed his personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?
Wilson Tuckey O'Connor, Liberal Party
In question time today, the member for Rankin misrepresented my comments at this morning’s doorstop as a criticism of the coalition’s parental leave policy. What I said this morning was that, by comparison, the ETS is a tax that is paid even if you are going broke and that the parental leave levy is no different in terms of tax administration and approximate rate than the Medicare levy, except that its threshold is $5 million of taxable income and as an income tax it does not front-end prices.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
4:00 pm
For the benefit of the House, I table the page that the Leader of the Opposition referred to in his personal explanation, which clearly shows that the government in 2003 reduced funding—
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
a billion dollars less than even—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The minister has tabled the document. The minister will resume her seat.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
No, I am not—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! At this point in time, I think we have moved on from the minister’s ability to add to an answer.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
I am also tabling a second document, which I am, as a minister, allowed to do.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The minister can table the documents but she cannot really debate the tabling.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
No, but I need to tell you what the document is that I am tabling.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
No. The minister has tabled one document, and the minister is about to table another document—
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
Yes. I am tabling a second document, which shows the Leader of the Opposition’s own words admitting to this.
Luke Hartsuyker Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The minister will resume her seat. The member for Cowper will resume his seat. I take it that the minister is approaching the dispatch box to table a document. She can table the document, but she cannot debate the document.
Nicola Roxon Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing
I have tabled the two documents.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House
Mr Albanese interjecting
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Usually you are of more assistance, Leader of the House. But the dogs have barked and the caravan has moved on!
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I have a question for you in relation to the document tabled.
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing
The point of order is: is it within the standing orders for the minister to table a document which is a half-ripped piece of paper, a transcript? This is not a Treasury document.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The member for Dickson will resume his seat. A document, having been tabled, is available for members to look at and make any assessment about that they like.