Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Nash. I refer to Prime Minister Abbott's pre-election promise:

We are about getting rid of taxes, not imposing new taxes.

Can the minister confirm that the new $7 GP tax and $5 prescription fee that families will pay are broken promises? Why is this Prime Minister forcing families to pay for his broken promise by making it harder to take children to the doctor and buy the medicine they need?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The purpose of this budget is to build a strong, prosperous Australia and a safe, secure future. MBS expenditure has been growing at an unsustainable rate. Ten years ago it was $10 billion. Today it is $19 billion. It is projected, over the next decade, to reach $38 billion. Any sensible and responsible government knows that we have to place that expenditure on a sustainable footing, that we have to ensure that Australia can afford a strong Medicare into the future. We are asking patients to make a small contribution to the cost of their care to their GP while still protecting those that are most vulnerable. We are keeping faith with our commitment to the Australian people. The fundamental action is being able to get the economy back on track. We made a promise to the Australian people that we would fix the economy, that we would ensure we had a safe and secure future for this nation, and that is what we will be doing.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did you lie?

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

Order!

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She is lying to the Australian people.

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

Order! You will need to withdraw that, Senator Cameron.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thought there was some defence in the truth.

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

No. Order! You just need to withdraw.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise to the Australian people: no cuts to health. Can the minister confirm that ripping tens of billions of dollars from our public hospitals over the next decade, including $3 billion in the next four years, is a broken promise? Why is this Prime Minister making Australians pay for his broken promise with longer waiting times, fewer beds, fewer doctors and fewer nurses?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unlike the previous government, this government is going to deliver a responsible budget. Indeed, in relation to the previous question, I note that the Shadow Assistant Treasurer has supported the co-payment.

In relation to hospitals, the Commonwealth funding for hospitals will still grow significantly—from $14 billion in 2013-14 to $18.9 billion in 2017-18 under the coalition government.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is about relevance. Again, the specific question is about the broken promise and cuts to health. The minister has not referred to that question in her answer. I would ask you to draw that to the minister's attention.

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

The minister still has 18 seconds remaining. The minister has addressed the question in part at this stage. I am listening to the rest of the minister's answer. There is no point of order at this stage.

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The most solemn promise that we made it to the Australian people at the last election was to fix the budget and strengthen the economy.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Unlike the previous Labor government, this government knows that we need a sustainable health system—

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! On my left!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister again to the Prime Minister's pre-election promise of no cuts to health. Can the minister explain: was that a solemn promise or not a solemn promise? Can the minister confirm that the Prime Minister is in fact breaking that promise by dismantling Medicare and the support it provides to millions of Australians?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the last election the Australian people elected the coalition government to fix the budget—to fix the economic mess that the previous Labor government had left. Unlike the previous Labor government, this government realises that the Australian people expect us to deliver them a future that is sustainable.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, again my point of order is on relevance. The minister has gone nowhere close to the direct question and I would ask you to draw her attention to what the question was.

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

I do draw the minister's attention to the question. The minister has 33 seconds remaining.

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The greatest question facing the Australian people at the moment is the fact that this government is the answer when it comes to delivering a sustainable health system.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Government senators interjecting—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is again relevance. The greatest question before the minister is the one we have asked. If we could draw the attention of the minister to that question.

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

At the 33-second mark I did draw the minister's attention to the question. The minister still has 21 seconds. The minister needs to address the question.

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When it comes to the health system in this nation it is the coalition government that is going to deliver a sustainable health system into the future. The Australian people elected us at the last election to do that, knowing that it was only this government that was going to do that. (Time expired)