Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the government's budget, which is just like last year, a triumph of Orwellian bravado. There is no greater proponent of Orwellian bravado in this country than the Prime Minister. We know that every time he gets into trouble he puffs himself up and out he goes for a fight with someone. It does not matter who, it does not matter where, that is his MO.

We know that, as part of that Orwellian bravado, we get his outlandish statements. Today we saw some of it on coding. Of course, we have seen it on Medicare as well. On 3 March he said: 'We are determined that this government will be, as the former Howard government was, the best friend that Medicare ever had.' He was not just happy enough to embark on bravado for his own government, he had to do it for the Howard government as well. We know that bravado has a really poisonous effect in the community.

Let's have a look at the election platform of the Liberal Party for the last election called Real solutions for all Australians. I just love it because it has the subheading: 'The direction, values and policy priorities in the next coalition government'. It is a wonderful thing. If you go to section 16 'Delivering better health services'—

See this speech in context