Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The health department has confirmed that the government has not investigated the impact of its health policies on hospitals. Can the Prime Minister confirm that his $80 billion cut to health and education is equivalent to 195,000 chemotherapy treatments over the next four years alone? Given the impact of his $80 billion cut on cancer sufferers, why is the Prime Minister asking: where is the problem?

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

We all know where the problem is: it is members opposite, who are in denial about the debt and deficit disaster that this country faces because of six years of incompetence.

For the benefit of the member who asked the question, this year there is a nine per cent increase in public hospital funding. Next year it is nine per cent and the year after that it is nine per cent and, in the final year, it is six per cent. When it comes to public schools, this year it is an eight per cent increase—

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

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

The member for Kingston will desist!

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

Next year it is an eight per cent increase and the year after that it is an eight per cent increase. Madam Speaker, I got it wrong: it is not a four per cent increase; it is actually a six per cent increase for public schools in the final year. This is a government which is sustainably supporting the great public schools and the great public hospitals of this country. What we are not doing is pretending that we can forever put the mortgage on the Bankcard and that is what members opposite tried to do. And that is why this country is now paying $1 billion every single month in interest on the borrowings. That is the price that every single Australian has to pay for Labor's incompetence. We did not create the problem, but we will fix it.