Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today marks 650 days since the election of the Abbott government on 7 September 2013. While we do not know the date of the next election, we do know this parliament has passed its halfway mark. What have we learned in those days? We have seen a government that promised not to break promises, break them again and again. We have learned the government claims to be a low-taxing government yet it has increased its tax receipts over every year of the forward estimates. We have seen a government that promised to reduce the deficit, double it in one year. We have seen action on many of the crucial challenges and opportunities facing the nation deferred, undone or abandoned. Action on the challenge and opportunity of our ageing population has been deferred. Action on needs-based school funding has been undone. Action on climate change has been abandoned.

Today I want to reflect on how the Abbott government has made an impact in my electorate of Blair in South-East Queensland, how its cuts and broken promises have impacted on hospitals, homes and infrastructure in my community. I will begin with health.

Last year West Moreton-Oxley Medicare Local, or WMOML as it is colloquially called, an excellent Medicare Local that served my electorate, the electorate of Wright, and parts of Ryan and Oxley electorates, produced its 2014-15 comprehensive needs assessment report. This report, the CNA, is the most complete assessment of the health needs of the Ipswich and Somerset Region ever undertaken. The CNA reports we are fast growing community. Our population is projected to increase by more than 90 per cent by 2031. It reports our relative social disadvantage and its link to our generally poor preventable health outcomes—it is a sobering read.

But what action has the Abbott government taken to address the challenges? Nothing but cuts and cuts. Ninety-two per cent of my electorate are bulk billed yet the government has chosen to inflict a GP tax by stealth on those people. Despite promising no cuts to health, the government in its 2014-15 budget cut $57 billion from Australia's public hospitals over the 10 years to 2024-25.

In Blair, these cuts hit the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, which provides primary health services to the bulk of my electorate, most notably from Ipswich Hospital. By 2017-18, the government's cuts will see funding to the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service reduced by $6.79 million. However, between 2017-18 and 2024-25, the local health and hospital service will suffer a funding shortfall of $803 million. In that same period, the Metro North Hospital and Health Service that services the Kilcoy region to my north faces a $2.3 billion funding shortfall. That is 8,337 jobs for doctors, nurses and health practitioners removed from the Queensland health system by 2024-25, according to the Brisbane Timeson 30 May this year. There will be fewer hospital beds, fewer doctors, fewer nurses and fewer allied health professionals. And this budget cut another $2 billion. There will be cuts to the child dental benefits schedules, cuts to child health assessments and cuts to veterans' dental funding.

Having said that it would not get rid of the Medicare Locals, they Abbott government got rid of all the Medicare Locals and WMOML did not get the funding for the new primary health network. Instead, it has been contracted out to Darling Downs Health, ignoring the needs of the local health services. With the proven track record that WMOML has, it is a disgrace that this government did not give the primary health network contract to WMOML. We will see families in my electorate, according to the University of Canberra, worse off by $406 per year from the 2014 budget. On top of that they will have to pay about $100,000 to go to the University of Southern Queensland. The Abbott government cut $2 billion from skills and training programs when the unemployment rate in Ipswich and Somerset is 7.7 per cent and 17.2 per cent fee youth unemployment. Over 15,000 pensioners will be adversely affected by the legislation before the chamber and 5,120 part pensioners. This is a disgrace. This is a government out of control, full of broken promises and those broken promises have absolutely adversely affected the people of Blair.