Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

Of course the government does not want people to worry about whether they can afford to visit the doctor. Of course no-one wants to see chronic disease rampant in our community. Of course we all want to see happy, healthy people in a cohesive society. The difference, if I may say so, is that the opposition is talking but the government is acting. The government has policies to deal with this, but all the opposition has is a series of complaints.

It is all very well for the shadow minister for health to stand up in this place and talk about things which might, in a perfect world, be done differently, and it is all very well to ask, having seen the government do 99 things, what it will do about the 100th thing. I have not had very many dealings with the shadow minister for health; she has been in the portfolio for only three months. I am sure she is a highly competent politician and I am sure she is a decent human being but, on the evidence of what we have seen today, there is a rather long way to go before she is a credible shadow minister.

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