Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

As part of an honest debate in relation to health, in particular in relation to nurses and midwives, it is absolutely crucial that the facts are on the table. The facts are that under Tony Abbott we had a record increase in spending in the health portfolio and nurses, midwives, doctors and other allied health professionals in the sector benefited from that record investment. The question to the minister is: on what did she base her claim that the opposition was somehow anti-nurse? On what evidence did she base her claim that we were not going to support this bill?

As I said before, talking to a number of stakeholders they are absolutely amazed at the minister’s performance and the way in which she has behaved over the last 48 hours in particular. People are shaking their heads. The opposition has been negotiating with the stakeholders in good faith and yet despite all of that this minister puts out press releases suggesting somehow that the coalition was not going to support this bill. I think it shows how disingenuous this minister is not just in relation to this bill but, frankly, about an honest debate in the health portfolio full stop. It is a debate that is going to play out over coming months. This is why we have always referred to this minister as Reba Roxon because people in New South Wales will remember Reba Meagher as being a terrible health minister—

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