Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. What is the government doing to address the recent issues surrounding the uncertainty of chemotherapy funding for Australian patients? How is this different from other approaches that have been taken in the past?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. This is an incredibly important issue for all Australians. About 150,000 chemotherapy patients each year in our country need infusions. The government provides a great deal of support to those services and to the delivery of those drugs. Sadly, those patients were left in great uncertainty under Labor. This is an issue that should have been put to bed a long time ago by the previous government. The problem is that the Labor Party created a difficulty for the delivery of those chemotherapy services. It caused enormous disruption; many providers said that they would withdraw their services. The previous government put in place some funding, but only six months worth of funding. The most offensive part is that the funding was to have run out on 31 December this year. Potentially, families were facing the dilemma that, over the Christmas break, they were going to have their chemotherapy services cut in the New Year. It was unconscionable. It was one of Labor's worst acts in government. If people think that the Labor mess only extends to education and the way they ripped money out of the economy and wasted billions of dollars, they are wrong.

I am sorry to say that the health portfolio is littered with difficulties of Labor's creation. Last Saturday, the Prime Minister and I went to Sydney, where we made an announcement that we would put in $80 million to provide certainty to those chemotherapy patients. We said to those patients that they could have a Christmas and New Year of certainty knowing that they will be provided with those chemotherapy services. There is certainty for those families. We found a mess of Labor's creation. We fixed it up. We provided certainty to those patients. We will continue until we get better outcomes and more certain futures for Australian patients.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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

Ms King interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It doesn't matter. The Prime Minister is entitled to the call and he has moved that questions be placed on the Notice Paper.