Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What do the latest figures show about the government’s private health insurance initiative? What does this say about the overall strength of Australia’s health system?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Braddon is a great enthusiast for the health facilities in his electorate—most notably and most recently, the brand-new rural clinical school at Burnie, which will soon be training up to 50 or 60 medical students in his area. I want to congratulate him on the fact that the GP bulk-billing rate in his electorate is now 17 percentage points higher than it was in December 2003.

The private health insurance rebate is one of the signature policies of the Howard government. It saves the average privately insured family more than $1,000 a year—and that is great news for the 26,000 people in the electorate of Braddon who are covered by private health insurance. I can advise the House that in the last year an extra 150,000 people joined the ranks of those covered by private health insurance. That means 10.2 million Australians are now covered by hospital or ancillary policies, and that is an absolute, all-time record. As the member for Braddon knows, it certainly helps to take the pressure off our public hospitals because, if the two million admissions to private hospitals a year did not have private health insurance, sure as anything they would be on the public hospital waiting list queue. This government is getting on with the job of making a good system even better.

I think it is worth noting that, since the last election, government members have asked no fewer than 105 questions on health—that is, 105 questions in 115 parliamentary sitting days. There have been just 14 questions from the member for Lalor. Since the last election, the member for Lalor has put out 118 press releases and not a single policy.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. Has the minister concluded his answer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. Why do we have relevance rules in the standing orders when this minister is answering a question which he was not asked. He is now talking about opposition policy and performance—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith will resume his seat. The Minister for Health and Ageing is answering the substance of the question. I call the minister.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously from that point of order the Leader of the Opposition is hiding the member for Griffith as well as he is hiding the member Lalor. The simple truth of the matter is that this government is interested in health. All the opposition are interested in is the politics of health. They are not interested in any benefits for patients. Meanwhile, this government is going from strength to strength as the best friend that Medicare has ever had.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my right.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They are laughing at you, Mr Speaker.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler is on thin ice.