Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Perhaps the students, on leaving the chamber, might decide that they want to have a look online where they can read what I say, because I am going to continue the lesson. Let me tell you that the lesson is not just for the students who were sitting in the chamber today; it is also for this shameful government, which is abrogating its responsibilities. Young people would understand about homework. There are only two reasons why you do not hand in your homework: you do not hand it in because you have not done it—and we know that is not the case because they did it. They actually made these cuts in the MYEFO, in the mid-year budget, so we know they did their homework. The reason that it is not on the record and the reason why the minister has not provided the answer is because their homework, for want of a better term—their answer to this question—is so bad that they do not want to put it in the light of public scrutiny. They do not want anybody to see it.

I am thinking back to what was going on in my life on 16 December, which was when this notice was given. I remember that 12 December was a big day in my family—my son turned 19 and, just a few days before, my grand-niece was born. It seems quite a long time ago. An awful lot has happened in the lives of most Australians between 16 December and now—people have paid bills, people have responded to inquiries, people have done their work. But this government are so arrogant that they do not think they should answer the questions that are put on the public record to let the Australian people see what they are doing.

What was the question that was asked? The question that was asked was from Senator Wong to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, as long ago as 16 December, with reference to the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook. A measure in it was identified—a title, if you want—that says: 'More efficient health programs'. The question was: 'Can the minister provide a list of the 24 health programs which will be cut to achieve $146 million worth of savings over four years?' The second part was: 'Can the minister provide a profile of the amount cut from each program over the forward estimates?'

Those opposite told us in black and white in the figures that they presented that there would be $146 million gone. They know it adds up to $146 million but they are refusing to tell the Australian Senate and, through refusing to tell the Australian Senate, they are refusing to tell the Australian people and we know why. What they have done to the health of this nation since they have got in is absolutely shameful. There has been $57 billion cut from health—$57 billion! This has a massive impact on our hospitals all around the country.

And what did the minister have to say when she did come to the chamber and in response to Senator Wong saying, 'Well, it has been three months. It might be time for an answer.' I think I got her words accurately. She said: 'The government is considering its response and will return an answer in due course.' That is, basically: 'We do not want you to know, and I would rather come down and be embarrassed and say: "I am hiding my homework because it is so bad. I would rather do that as a minister of the Crown than come in and tell you the truth about the savage cuts that they are going to take to these important programs in health".'

What are those programs? What do we know at this stage? The little bit of information that they had to leak out for their budget revelation in December is that they are cutting $40.4 million in 2014-15; $36.9 million in 2015-16; $36.9 in 2016-17 ;and $31.8. And they say they are going to achieve these savings by—and this is a carefully abused word, I think, in this context—'redesigning'. They say they are redesigning 24 health programs. They say they are going to make these programs operate more efficiently, including programs associated with four things; firstly, population health.

Population health is where we have investment in finding out about what is going on—epidemiology, figuring out what is going on in our community—but it is also where we have programs that help to keep people well. What are those opposite cutting? Are they cutting the colon programs? Are they cutting advertising about BreastScreen? What are they doing? What are they cutting in terms of population health? They do not want to answer the question.

If we really believe in keeping ourselves healthy as a nation we should be investing in preventative health and using population health data to make our country more healthy, not less healthy. But that is what they have cut.

They have also cut medical services but we do not know which ones because they will not tell us. They are also cutting e-health, electronic health. We know there is a massive transformation being undertaken around the country to try to get all of our records and details into electronic form, so that if you are travelling you can get your records. I know that many Australians who come to visit us here in the parliament travel around the country. If you become unwell when travelling and if your records are digitised, the person who looks after you when you are away from home has full access to your records. That is e-health. The government are cutting that.

They are also cutting their investment in health workforce. Whether they are directly cutting the health workforce or cutting the preparation and planning for an effective health workforce, we do not know because they will not answer a question, despite the fact that they made the announcements before Christmas. They know what they are cutting. They know right now, today, that they could bring that information forward and put it out publicly, but they are avoiding that scrutiny.

All of these things are vitally important. What we are seeing is a very significant problem and we are seeing it day after day with this government. They are determined to take away the health care of the people of this nation. They call it 'efficiency', but ordinary Australians call it something very different. We call it cuts to health. We call it cuts to access. We call it a deliberate attack by a Liberal-National coalition on Medicare in many, many circumstances. We have seen the cuts of $146 million over four years as the 'more efficient health program'. We have seen them call another program of cuts to the tune of $141 million over four years as 'mental health streamlining'.

I know that people here in the chamber and people who might be listening to this see many, many images of their local members—and they are particularly numerous at the moment as the Liberal-National Party are in government—crying crocodile tears all around the country and bleating about how much they care about mental heath, how much they care about mental health in the bush, how much they care about mental health for men, how much they care about mental health for women. But they have cut $141 million from mental health and they call it 'streamlining'.