Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Isn't it the case that, as the Prime Minister caves in to his conservative backbench on issue, after issue, after issue, the only options that the Prime Minister has left are more extreme cuts—

Mr Nikolic interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bass will cease interjecting and is warned. The Leader of the Opposition will begin in his question again.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Isn't it the case that, as the Prime Minister caves in to his conservative backbench on issue, after issue, after issue, the only options that the Prime Minister has left are more extreme cuts in the budget, just like the Medicare cuts in the Abbott government's 2014 budget? Will the Prime Minister today, without hesitation, rule out caving in to his backbench again by privatising Medicare?

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will restrain himself; he is delaying the Prime Minister.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is quite a long list of issues in that one question. Earlier today, the member for Jagajaga launched two years work—a policy document for tackling inequality, which focused on employment. Jobs and employment are at the heart of all of our concerns. I would have hoped that the Leader of the Opposition paid sufficient attention to that presentation that he would have been asking us about jobs and employment, but instead we have the first question about the member for Groom—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and then the second question with an ugly attack about the Safe Schools Coalition matter. Let me make this observation: every Australian child has the right to feel safe at school and to be in a respectful, supportive learning environment. We take the issue of bullying very seriously, whether it occurs—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith will cease interjecting.

Mr Hutchinson interjecting—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

The member for Lyons will cease interjecting. The Leader of the House will cease interjecting.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. I asked about their plans to privatise Medicare.

Mr Joyce interjecting—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House, I would actually like to respond to the point of order, if I could. The question had a long preamble. The Leader of the Opposition did ask a specific question at the end, but the Prime Minister is entitled to respond to the entirety of the question that is asked.

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

The member for Adelaide will not interject while I am addressing the House. The member for Adelaide is warned! The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The critical issue in dealing with bullying in schools and with ensuring that young people are not bullied in schools or online is to focus on that clearly and to speak about it with respectful language. The way the Leader of the Opposition has sought to extract partisan advantage from this is thoroughly unworthy. The way that he has sought to describe any critic of the Safe Schools program as being an extremist or an ideologue or worse is utterly unworthy and he should recognise that inflaming this debate is unworthy. I repeat what I said the last time we discussed this—

Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Adelaide has already been warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and I address this to every member of this House: all members expressing views on this program should choose their words carefully and remember the impact their statements can have on young people and their families.

As far as Medicare is concerned—one of the other matters he raised—the government, of course, is not privatising Medicare. What a pathetic scare! The government spends over $20 billion a year on Medicare. We are totally focused on the success of Medicare. We want to ensure that it delivers its support and services to Australians more efficiently and with the technologies they use every day, so we are looking at digital platforms, as any responsible government should.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table a document from the West Australian entitled 'Federal government's plan to outsource health services: private Medicare'.

Leave not granted.