Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday and today in question time, the Minister for Health and Ageing answered questions in relation to what he called a ‘Bible ban’ in hospitals in Queensland and in Victoria. He said today:

I would be quite confident that the Bible ban is the result of overzealous local officials terrified of appearing culturally insensitive.

He went on to say:

This Bible ban is objectionable and should be withdrawn. It would take only a few words from the Victorian and the Queensland health ministers to overturn this ban. I respectfully suggest that they utter those few words.

I think Australians would be forgiven for believing that with the minister for health in charge of our health system the best hope they have got is a Bible! I can understand why they would come to that conclusion, but the problem here is that the minister for health has got the matter entirely wrong. There is no Bible ban in Victorian hospitals or in Queensland hospitals and on the quickest of researches the minister for health would be able to ascertain that fact.

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