Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Crossin for her supplementary question about our plans to ensure Australians can access the health care they need. The response to our plan from people at the front line of medical care in Australia has been very positive. Dr Andrew Pesce from the AMA said ‘this is a good move forward’. He said:

This is one of the parts of the jigsaw puzzle that we need to move forward with with the help of the reform agenda.

I have another quote, from Dr Chris Mitchell from the Royal Australian College of GPs:

This is a very important investment by the government into general practice …

Contrast this with the ongoing insistence by the Leader of the Opposition that ‘the federally run parts of our health system were working pretty well under the Howard government’. I think most Australians would dispute that having 59 per cent of Australians suffering from a doctor shortage was a sign that something was in fact working well. (Time expired)