House debates Questions without Notice
Health Care
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:34 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. The night before the last election, the Prime Minister famously promised there would be no cuts to health. Why is the Prime Minister costing Victorians an extra $200 million a year just to go to the doctor?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
It is Medicare that provides for people to go to the doctor.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
There have been no cuts to Medicare. We do have a modest co-payment in place, because that was good policy according to no less of a figure than Bob Hawke himself. When it comes to public hospitals, Victorian public hospital funding goes up every single year.
Mr Shorten interjecting—
As usual, there are interjections from the Leader of the Opposition. I was in Victoria—
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
For 45 minutes!
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will desist. The Leader of the Opposition has asked his question, so he will now listen to the answer.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The day before I left to go to APEC—
Opposition members interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I was in Victoria the day before I left to go to Beijing—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
to support the efforts of the Minister for Trade and Investment to negotiate the free-trade agreement with China, which the members opposite do not want to talk about.
Mr Burke interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
This is the free-trade agreement that they tried for six years to negotiate and got nowhere. Public hospital funding in Victoria goes up every single year under this government. What also goes up under this government is the East-West Link. It gets built under this government. The best thing we can do for the people of Victoria—
Mr Dreyfus interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
is make sure that there is not a change of government, because if there is a change of government then there will be no East-West Link, no 7,000 jobs and no billions of dollars' worth of economic spin-offs. That is what the people of Victoria need: a strong coalition government in Canberra and a strong coalition government in Spring Street.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
I just want to table the data upon which we explained that Victorians pay $186 million more.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition knows that there is a ruling that if there is a public document, it is not subject to being asked for leave to table it in anyway. Is this a public document?
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
No, this is our calculations based upon experts—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
It is your calculations?
Government members interjecting—
Nor are props! Is leave granted?
Leave not granted.
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
It is not a prop; it is a fact.