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

I rise today to talk about the $80 billion cuts to education and health, to our schools and our hospitals, that of course was confirmed when MYEFO came out. We could forgive those in the chamber and the public for not recognising that that had been confirmed because of course we have had a silent Prime Minister on this issue. He has had very little to say after MYEFO and has had very little to say since we came back to this chamber about education or health. In fact, the only thing I have heard him say at the dispatch box about education sounded like he was reading a former Prime Minister's speaking notes. He made claims about increasing funding when we all know that there is a $38 billion cut to schools funding being delivered by this government. They have not changed their minds about those cuts to health or those cuts to education.

This is really important in my electorate, not just for our schools but also for our hospital. Our hospital is getting a funding injection by the state government to renew it and get it fit for the size of the community that it serves and this government wants to starve that hospital of the money it needs to service our community when it is eventually finished and meeting our needs. This government needs to get serious about the things that are important to the people in this country. What they have been doing is making sure that some people do not pay their fair share while asking others to pay more and more or to go without the necessities of life. They continue with tax concessions and they are paying polluters. Get serious!