John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Ludwig. Is the minister aware that some rural hospitals like Gilgandra and Coonabarabran in New South Wales can no longer serve meat to patients because the New South Wales Labor government has failed to pay its butchers’ bills? Given that these are just some of the many small businesses unable to obtain payment for goods and services supplied to rural hospitals and given that the government was elected on the promise that ‘Kevin Rudd will fix our hospitals’ will the minister intervene so suffering Australian patients are not denied proper meals by his New South Wales Labor mates?

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

I thank the senator for the question. The Rudd government is working with New South Wales rather than what the Liberals did when they were in government, which was to rip $1 billion out of the health system. The Rudd government is working through the COAG process with New South Wales to address some of the systemic issues that have been left after 11—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is a time to debate this at the end of question time. If you do not like the answer you can debate it at the end. The minister is entitled, as I have said, just as questioners are entitled, to be heard in this chamber.

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

It seems that those Liberals on the other side need help to understand that the 11 years of neglect cannot be remedied overnight, cannot be fixed with a silver bullet, cannot be remedied instantly. Their neglect and their position of ripping $1 billion out of the health system ensures that issues that arise in New South Wales such as the senator outlined do need both a COAG and a New South Wales solution in tandem.

Those opposite have not turned their minds to what we have been doing New South Wales wide, where the number on long elective surgery waiting lists has been almost halved in the year to June 2008 to 40 patients. What we have been doing is working with the New South Wales government in the hospital area to ensure that we can address some of the systemic issues that are reflected across the system, such as the one you have raised, Senator Williams. Those issues are important. It is important to ensure that these matters are addressed, but what those opposite fail to appreciate is that they left the problem unaddressed. They ensured, having ripped $1 billion out of the health system, that we would not be able to address it overnight.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer is not finished and until senators stop debating across the chamber we will cease question time and wait till it is quiet.

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

Of course, I am disappointed to hear the news about reported menu cutbacks in some New South Wales hospitals. It is of concern. All states and territories are required, as you know, to provide public hospital services in an equitable, timely and quality manner. It is important to be able to do that. This is a condition that the Commonwealth expects states to adhere to. Adequate diet is fundamental to ensure that we have quality and safety regulations and that the states obey those. We hope in that instance that the New South Wales government will work with the Greater Western Area Health Service and resolve this matter immediately. We expect them to be able to put their shoulder to the wheel and ensure that these issues are addressed as quickly as they can be.

As I said, we have already provided $1 billion additional funding to all states and territories to assist them with addressing the rising costs associated with healthcare services. We expect the states to put this money where it is most needed—to keep their patients safe. We will be looking to ensure that occurs within the public hospital system. Of course, we have not stopped at that point. We have also turned our attention to how we can invest to reduce elective surgery waiting times, and $600 million has been put into the system to address that.

Of course, what this demonstrates is that the Rudd government takes these matters seriously. We are moving forward with the health agenda. Through the COAG process we are working to address the public hospital system. We are also addressing the smaller issues—those matters which go to menus—which are extraordinarily important to the patients concerned. (Time expired)

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Since the minister is now refusing to help rural hospital patients, is he saying that he supports the idea that rural New South Wales hospitals should be for vegetarians only? When will the government actually act to fix our hospitals rather than simply talk about them?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When people are ready on my left, we will start question time again and I will call the minister.

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

What I have just heard is really quite a sad reflection upon the opposition to do with a very serious question which I was providing a serious answer to. It is not something that should be turned into a joke; it is a very serious matter. I have said what we are doing to address it. I am sure if Senator Williams reflected upon that he would then agree that this is a matter that needs to be addressed. We are working through the process, as I have indicated, because it is an important matter—not only the vignette of the small matter of a menu but more broadly how we address patient concerns, waiting lists and the systemic problems that the previous Liberal government left when they ripped a billion dollars out of the health and hospital system. What is needed is for both the opposition and us to support the system so that we can address not only those systemic problems— (Time expired)