Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

We are increasing health and medical research funding. Flat-lining would cost the health and medical research community $88 million between now and 2016-17. Flat-lining is a cost because it means health and medical research funding does not keep up with growing expenses.

The other thing that this comment that they are quarantining health and medical research tells us is that everything else is on the chopping block. Are they going to quarantine funding for hospitals? Are they going to quarantine funding for medicines? Are they going to quarantine funding for health workforce training? Are they going to quarantine funding for bush services? No, none of these things are quarantined. I can tell you why. As health minister, the Leader of the Opposition cut health funding. He has been out there supporting Campbell Newman and the Victorian government and others when they cut health funding. He said that he will cut $1.2 billion from Medicare Locals, from primary health care—more recently that has been a little unpopular, so now he is hiding behind a review.

Now we have the member for Tangney talking about austerity. Austerity in health care means cutting funding. We have seen them backflip on private health insurance and I welcome that because that goes towards dental and towards disability care. From one day to the next, you cannot tell where the opposition are on health funding. They are tricky— (Time expired)

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