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

Why this is completely relevant is because it shows a course of conduct by a government that is out of control. The point is that it is not just restricted to the area of health. More money is needed in the area for doctors and nurses and for midwives in particular, but this is a government that has wasted money and this is a government that has said to the Australian public that it has health as a priority, yet every act both inside this portfolio and across broader government points to completely the opposite. I think it is a crying shame for Australian patients, for midwives who are affected directly by this bill, for all allied health professionals, that they see so much promised and yet have so little delivered. This is just the latest example of why this government cannot be trusted going forward. The midwives of Australia look at this piece of legislation as yet the latest example of why this government cannot be trusted into the future.

We supported the original tranche of legislation in this area. We provided constructive input to the government. We warned them of some of the likely failings. Some of those failings have come to pass. They talk about typographical errors which in effect make the premium completely above and beyond what anybody could be expected to pay. Nobody could practise as a result of this legislation reasonably if they were in certain employment circumstances. As I say, we flagged the fact that this government would get yet another bill wrong. They did not let us down. Certainly they have let the Australian people down. We support the amendments because they make bad legislation better than it was, but ultimately what needs to be highlighted to this parliament and to the Australian people is that this is yet the latest example of a government that has failed at every turn, for which they should be condemned at the ballot box in two years time.

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