Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader (Tasmania)) Share this | Hansard source

It's obvious that Senator Birmingham has been caught out because what a performance! He is certainly never going to be a match for Senator Wong—not at all. If you want to talk about the real impacts of this government, you have had ample opportunity. Senator Wong challenged you, Senator Birmingham, to rule out any change to the GST, to rule out any cut to Tasmania or South Australia—but, no. Once again, along with Senator Cormann, you have failed to do it.

You did raise a very important issue: the Oakden scandal. It's very opportune for you to raise that, Senator Birmingham. You want to look at your own Department of Health and Ageing before you go pointing the finger at anyone else. You certainly should look at the accreditation agency and its failure to support and protect those most vulnerable South Australians, so be careful. Senator Duniam will come up and talk about the facts. The fact is, Senator Birmingham, that it was your government's department, your agency, that failed in Oakden.

Let's not be distracted from the real issues that are going to be affected by any cut of the GST to Tasmania and South Australia. We have a health system and a hospital system in my home state of Tasmania in crisis. It doesn't matter how many times that the Liberal senators come into this place and talk about previous Labor governments. It is this minister—the state Minister for Health, the Liberal minister, the Liberal government—and the Liberal Premier, who Senator Duniam used to work for, who were on the government benches when older Tasmanians were left on the floor in accident and emergency. Older Tasmanians have been left to wait for more than 48 hours for emergency surgery. One particular man was bleeding. It was a real emergency.

Senators come here from Tasmania and say: 'Well, you know, we haven't said there's going to be a cut. The Productivity Commission report, gee, golly, gosh,' as Senator Wong said, on 3 January—all of a sudden they need more time. Well, they have already highlighted that $168 million will be cut from Tasmania. Senator Duniam and the Liberal team: you need to say more than what you've been saying in Tasmania. You actually have to prove it. You have to actually stand up for Tasmanians. You have to actually put pressure on your government not to cut any funding. Why aren't you getting your colleagues, your ministerial colleagues, to actually rule out any cut to the GST? It is very simple. You keep saying that we're running a scare campaign. The reality is you can end any campaign by getting your Prime Minister, your Treasurer or your Minister for Finance to say there will be no cut.

Tasmanians don't believe you because they know that this Prime Minister has walked away from Tasmania. The Prime Minister has visited Tasmania fewer than five times since the last federal election. The reality is that all this huff and puff and talking about facts is all about trying to save a very weak Premier of Tasmania, a Premier who is only ever known as the 'good news Premier'. The reality is that, when it comes to health, hospitals and education and the lack of funding for home care packages for older Tasmanians, you have failed. The Tasmanian community understands that very well.

Health is a major issue at this coming state election. Minister Ferguson has a big red 'F' for 'failure'. If you're not prepared to rule out the GST once and for all—no cuts to South Australia or Tasmania—then the people of Tasmania will vote accordingly. They know that when it comes to health, education and looking after the welfare of all Tasmanians the only party that has a policy, a solution and a vision to restore the good health of Tasmanians and the health system is the Labor Party. So I am waiting with bated breath to hear once again those facts that Senator Duniam will roll out and roll out and roll out. The reality is we can't trust this government. (Time expired)