Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The median waiting time for elective surgeries like hip replacements is 36 days. What will happen to people already on surgical waiting lists because of the Prime Minister's $80 billion cut? Given that thousands of Australians will be forced to wait longer for surgery because of his cuts, why is the Prime Minister asking, 'Where is the problem?'

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The shadow minister should just for once tell the truth. The truth is that there is a nine per cent increase this year, a nine per cent increase next year, a nine per cent increase the year after that and a six per cent increase in the final year. Hospital funding goes up substantially every single year. The shadow minister for foreign affairs should stop trying to scare the patients of Australia. She should come up with some solutions and put the complaints aside. If she is serious about replacing the Leader of the Opposition, she might as well start with a few ideas of her own.