Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

When it comes to health and hospitals it seems that those opposite only have one response, which is to guffaw. But, bearing in mind that we face a Leader of the Opposition who gouged $1 billion from the public hospital system, we do understand what they have to guffaw about.

I ask the Leader of the Opposition to suspend his cynicism for just one moment and reflect on the historical significance of the health and hospitals deal which was arrived at among the states and territories in Canberra on 20 April. This was a historic reform. This is the largest change to the health and hospital system since the introduction of Medicare. We know where those opposite stand in their commitment to Medicare, because in years past they tried in election after election after election to get rid of Medicare. This government introduced it and this government sustained it, despite their successive attempts to get rid of it.

The questions which are often asked are: ‘What is this reform about? Why are we doing it?’ Point number one is that this system of ours is at a tipping point, partly because our predecessors, when the Leader of the Opposition was health minister, ripped $1 billion out of the system. The system was underfunded and under stress. But I go to the core element—

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