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

I start by noting that once again the Minister for Health and Ageing has refused to attend for consideration in detail on the appropriations for the Health and Ageing portfolio. He is clearly in the parliament. Indeed, both he and I were just in the House dealing with a piece of health legislation. There is no reason why he could not have taken the same walk up the stairs that I did. The consistent refusal of the minister for health to defend the appropriations for Health and Ageing, I think, reflects poorly on his competence and on his understanding of the importance of parliament and is obviously meant to shroud from the opposition’s inquiry the appropriations in Health and Ageing. If he is too incompetent to defend his appropriations, one wonders why he is drawing a ministerial salary.

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