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

I listened to all of her tirade in courteous silence. I listened to all the accusations of bad faith without interjecting. I listened to all her shrill claims about how I did not care and how I had no interest. I took all that stuff because I thought someone who had been in the job for only three months could be excused for going over the top occasionally. However, the shadow minister would have a lot more credibility if she actually did a bit of homework.

I do not pretend for a second that this government is perfect. I do not pretend for a second that as health minister I have all the answers. I do not pretend for a second that I am a model of every last bit of human sympathy. Of course I have my weaknesses and my failures, but I think the government do have a good record on health. I think we have diligently addressed the problems of our health system as they have occurred to us. Sure, there are some things that we have not done—not because we do not care about them but because they really are the responsibility of others.

I ask the shadow minister for health: is there anything which is fairly and squarely the responsibility of this federal government that has not been addressed? Sure, there are areas where maybe we could do more. Sure, if we had more money, we could do more. Sure, if advertising campaigns were more effective we might get better results, but I do not think that any fair-minded observer who looked at the record of this government in health, particularly in that period that I am most familiar with—the last 3½ years—would say that there has been the slightest evidence of lack of interest or the slightest evidence of carelessness about this portfolio.

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