Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Sport and Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister explain to the House how a re-established Australian Building and Construction Commission will ensure hardworking Australians receive the health services and infrastructure they deserve. Is the minister aware of any threats to the progress of health infrastructure?

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo has already been warned. The Minister for Health has the call.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and thank you to the member for Boothby for her question. She certainly understands the importance of the health of her electorate and the health of the nation.

Members on our side of course know about the government's record spending on Medicare and public hospitals—public hospital infrastructure, $95 billion over five years, more than any previous government has spent. But we need more than record funding to deliver the world-class health system that Australians have come to expect. It also takes infrastructure; it takes hospital infrastructure. We need hospital infrastructure to deliver our record finding. Unfortunately, due to the actions of unions on building sites across this country—described variously in the trade union royal commission as 'bullies', 'liars', 'thugs' and 'thieves'—that infrastructure has been delayed.

When you see a hospital that does not get opened on time, when you see beds that do not arrive on time, when you see treatments that are not delivered on time, you know that this Labor Party is putting the health of their union mates before the health of the nation.

Due to the actions of unions on hospital building sites, and I will give you an example.

Ms Husar interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am cautioning the member for Lindsay for the final time.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have heard examples in the House: Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth Children's Hospital, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital. Stoppages and strikes cost $9 million at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital. No-one has made any attempt to call out the—

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton will cease interjecting.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

unions behind this behaviour. When I talk about infrastructure, I want to refer to a hospital in the member's own state, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, which is the third-most-expensive building in the history of the world.

Opposition members interjecting—

Members are yelling and screaming because they do not want to admit the truth.

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton has been warned already.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The truth comes back down to Labor union members and their relationship with the union movement. They are in a hopelessly compromised relationship. They used to care about the patients, but they have put their relationship with the union ahead of their relationship—

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield and the member for Kingsford Smith will cease interjecting. The member for Gorton on a point of order—and will state the point of order.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on relevance, Mr Speaker.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton will resume his seat.

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

The member for Gorton will resume his seat.

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

The member for Gorton has already been warned. I am not going to continuously warn people on points of order when I have asked them to resume their seat. It is a defiance of the House, and the member for Gorton will leave under 94(a).

The member for Gorton then left the chamber.

I will hear the Manager of Opposition Business.

Honourable members interjecting—

Members on my right will cease interjecting.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton, when he rose on that point of order, stated relevance and was about to give the reason, and he was not given the opportunity.

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right will cease interjecting.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

The Leader of the House will cease interjecting.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The issue that he was raising was about people having died on the site.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will cease interjecting.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given that that was the circumstance, to say that he had to sit down instantly when he rose for that particular reason, I think is a harsher than usual ruling, Mr Speaker.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the Manager of Opposition Business to resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

The minister will cease interjecting.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

The member for Isaacs and the minister will cease interjecting or they will be having their conversation outside the chamber. I will make a couple of points to the Manager of Opposition Business. I have heard him and I do respect the fact that the member for Gorton was obviously passionate on the issue—I could see that from here—as are other members. Nonetheless, I have made it very clear on points of order that, if I am hearing a point of order and I ask someone to resume their seat, they need to resume their seat immediately. No matter how passionate they feel about the issue, they will not remain at the dispatch box and shout into the chamber. It was for that reason and the fact that he had been warned for his conduct twice previously in question time—the combination of those things and not resuming his seat—that I was forced to eject him. If he had resumed his seat, I would have heard from the Manager of Opposition Business. Has the minister concluded?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If Labor want to play politics, they might like to be reminded about safety. They might like to be reminded that Senator Kitching fraudulently sat the safety tests of six union leaders and was referred to the DPP as a result—which is something that they have never mentioned. (Time expired)

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House and the member for Sydney are both testing my patience.