Brett Raguse (Forde, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Can the minister update the House on the government’s health reform consultations? Minister, where are the next consultations due to be held and are there any media reports in my area and the Gold Coast relevant to the health services in the region?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Forde, who has a particular interest in health reform. We recently visited Logan Hospital together where millions of dollars of investment are going into a new emergency department. I know he takes an interest in these issues. As part of the health reform commission’s report, to date six consultations have been undertaken by the Prime Minister and me, and several more are coming in the following weeks. In fact, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Ageing are visiting Nepean Hospital on Friday, and I am going to the Gold Coast on Monday to host a consultation at Griffith University with many specialists and health professionals from the Gold Coast region.

As the diligent minister that I believe I am, I made sure that I read the material in the local papers. I took it upon myself to make sure that I read the local papers from the Gold Coast and I stumbled upon some very interesting material in the Gold Coast Bulletin. The Gold Coast Bulletin covers some comments about the shadow health spokesperson. You might have thought this would aid our discussion on Monday about health reform, that it might have been about health debates, about health policy or about health investments. But, in fact, it is an article called ‘Parachutes ready’ by Sue Lappeman and it is about how the Liberal Party is ensuring that the member for Dickson, the shadow health spokesperson, can be parachuted into the seat of McPherson.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Mr Speaker, as you would well know, a minister can be asked questions about areas within her responsibility. The member for Dickson’s seat is not within her responsibility. She has no right to be answering a question about matters outside her ministerial responsibility.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. I will listen carefully to the minister.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course, this is particularly relevant because it goes directly to the role of the shadow health spokesperson, who you would think in a national debate about health reform might actually be—

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the point of order is on relevance. Considering the state of the Gold Coast Hospital and health services, this minister wants to make a mockery out of—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fadden will excuse himself from the chamber for one hour under standing order 94(a).

The member for Fadden then left the chamber.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. At the risk of upsetting your applecart and pressing your good graces to the opposition, the minister is being intensely provocative and that is why the member for Fadden rose and took his point of order. She is not answering a question within her ministerial responsibility. Obviously she feels intimidated by the shadow health minister.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand the submission put to me that members to my left might feel provoked. I am not sure that all the members would feel intimidated, including the person who was putting the submission to me. On the point of order, which related to the behaviour of the member for Fadden, I think—without wishing to speak on behalf of the member for Fadden—that he understands what happened to him. At the 20th question, I invite the minister to respond to the question.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Gold Coast is an important region in Australia, as we know. It is a fast-growing community. The problems at Gold Coast Hospital are well known, because of the boom in the population and of course the ageing population. That is why it is important for us to be holding a consultation in the Gold Coast. In fact, it is a point that is also made in the article. The article, by Sue Lappeman, says:

The Gold Coast is at a critical stage in its development and needs someone who will fight for what it needs, not a show- pony more intent on a spot on the frontbench.

Interestingly, the article—

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I draw your attention to standing orders under the subheading of ‘Disorder’, specifically standing order 90, ‘Reflections on members’:

All imputations of improper motives to a Member and all personal reflections on other Members shall be considered highly disorderly.

I invite you to apply the one-hour rule to the very disorderly minister.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will listen very carefully. I have not adjudicated that anything of the nature that the member for O’Connor has put to me has occurred. The minister will relate her material to the question.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course, the question does refer to reports and media reports from the Gold Coast, the region I am indeed visiting on Monday to talk about their health concerns, important issues within the community.

Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It’s a reflection. Don’t do it again.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is interesting that the member for O’Connor is interjecting so much, because it means that I am required to read another paragraph in the article, which says:

It all made me wonder in what parallel universe we are in where someone like Mrs May retires yet the Three Placebos—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. Under standing order 98(c):

A minister can only be questioned on the following matters, for which he or she is responsible or officially connected:

(i) public affairs;

(ii) administration; or

(iii) proceedings pending in the House.

Previous Speakers have specifically ruled out ministers trying to answer questions about matters internal to other political parties, and I ask you to sit the minister down who is pushing your patience and the patience of the House.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order goes to whether the question was in order at the time. My consideration of the question was that it was in order. There is only one standing order that applies to the question and that is the matter of relevance. As I have discussed here before, this House has developed a very broad definition of relevance. I invite the minister to use the material that she has in response to the question and draw her answer to a conclusion.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can certainly do that very quickly, Mr Speaker, when I finish this quote, which says:

… Mrs May retires yet the Three Placebos—the bird-flipping Bill Heffernan, muppet-like Wilson Tuckey and just plain frightening Bronwyn Bishop—can still lurch around causing havoc.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.