Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. How is the government delivering better and more affordable health care in a financially responsible way and how is this plan a fairer choice for Australians—

Mr Morrison interjecting—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order. In amongst the continuing stream of abuse, the shadow minister for immigration has just made a grossly unparliamentary remark, and I ask that it be withdrawn.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Cook will withdraw.

Mr Morrison interjecting—

Mr Abbott interjecting—

The member for Cook does not get to debate with the Leader of the Opposition. He either withdraws or leaves the chamber under 94(a).

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, the term I referred to was 'hypocrite' and I withdraw.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cook will leave the chamber under 94(a). You do not get to make the withdrawal in that way.

The member for Cook then left the chamber.

If everybody would like to go to the House of Reps Practice and read through issues of what is or is not unparliamentary, perhaps you could all answer that question for yourselves. I have asked him to remove himself from the chamber for gross misconduct at the dispatch box. The member for Werriwa has the call.

Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will repeat the question. My question is to the Minister for Health. How is the government delivering better and more affordable health care in a financially responsible way and how is this plan a fairer choice for Australians?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Good government is about making the right choices and that is what we have done in the area of health. We are making choices to build a smarter, stronger and fairer nation, and that includes our area of health. The opposition want to cut to the bone. They want to cut $1.2 billion out of Medicare Locals—

Mr Simpkins interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Cowan will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Cowan then left the chamber.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

like the one in the member's electorate that is delivering after-hours GP services. We are investing in better primary health care. Our 2013-14 budget is a record investment in hospitals, cancer care and mental health funding. This week is Kidney Health Week. We saw yesterday increased support for GPs doing kidney function tests on diabetics and, from 1 July, our six weeks of paid leave will start for living donors.

Tomorrow is MS Day. Last week, we announced $1 million of extra funding for MS research, a very important contribution. Members on this side know that, to pay for those very important investments, we need to have a sensible and rigorous approach to finding savings. We need to choose; we need to prioritise. We means-tested the private health insurance rebate some time ago, saving $100 billion over 40 years. And now the House is considering two other private health insurance measures.

I was very pleased about reports that the coalition will back one of these measures. I see in the media today that one of the measures will receive support from the coalition. What is really curious is that one will receive support and one will not. Another measure here is with respect to Lifetime Health Cover. A fine is imposed on people who delay taking out private health insurance but who currently receive a subsidy from the government. The coalition are going to knock over that change. They are going to knock over that saving. I ask members: in what other area where the government imposes a fine does the government then pick up 30 per cent of that fine? It is like imposing a speeding ticket or a parking fine and then going and paying 30 per cent of that speeding ticket or parking fine. It makes no sense at all. Together, these two measures will save $1.1 billion. That is money for the kids dental program Grow Up Smiling, and it is money for DisabilityCare. You cannot support the spends—and the opposition say they support these spends—and then oppose the saves that pay for them.

Government is about choices. It is about the right choices. Sometimes that means the right choices in savings, savings that pay for priorities such as the kids dental program Grow Up Smiling, and DisabilityCare. These are programs that will change the lives of millions of Australians in years to come—3.4 million children and 400,000 people with disabilities. If you back the spends, you must back these savings. (Time expired)