Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is it not the case that as the Prime Minister caves in to his conservative backbench on issue after issue, the only option that the Prime Minister has left is more extreme cuts, just like the Medicare cuts in the Abbott government's 2014 budget? Will the Prime Minister finally stand up to his conservative backbench and reverse his cuts to breast screening, MRIs and blood tests for cancer patients?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is great to be back sparring with my old friend. It is great to be back here with you. Economics has not always been Labor's strong suit. I do not want to surprise people here, but Labor has never been good at numbers. Let me go through the numbers of the increased expenditure in health under this government, each and every year into the future. It does grow every year, and, in fact, total government spending on health is projected to increase from $65.7 billion in 2014-15 to $68.7 billion this financial year and $75.2 billion in 2018-19. Would we want to increase expenditure in health beyond that? Yes, we would. But we inherited an enormous debt from Labor, and they make it very hard to spend money on roads, health and education because when they were in office they spent every dollar and much, much more.

We are increasing health expenditure each year and we will put more money into many areas across the Health portfolio because we want a healthier nation. We accept that we are an ageing nation. Each year we put more money into the Health portfolio. Labor can get up and pretend something is different if they want to in every question during question time, but the numbers show that they do not understand the basic facts when it comes to this government's investment in health. It grows each and every year.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the MYEFO budget cut of $650 million to pathology and diagnostic imaging—punishing cancer patients.

Leave not granted.