Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Why is it important to provide continuity of funding for vital health programs?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Tangney for his question. I know just how hard he works in his electorate of Perth to deliver better healthcare services.

Earlier in question time today, I talked about how hard it has become to see a doctor in Australia today and how expensive it is also. For the first time in the history of Medicare, almost 40 years, the average gap fee for a standard GP consult is now actually more than the Medicare rebate itself. That didn't happen by chance. It's the product of deliberate decisions taken by the former government over nine long years—in particular, as I said earlier in question time, those taken by the Leader of the Opposition when he was health minister back in 2014. But beyond those obvious cuts, those published cuts and the neglect to Medicare, there is a long list of cuts to health programs buried in fine print in the Morrison government's final budget—dozens and dozens of ongoing health programs that the former government refused to fund beyond 30 June this year.

Australians have learned over the last three years just how important electronic or digital health is today. The centrepiece, the mothership piece, of Australia's digital health system, allowing electronic prescribing, telehealth and so much more, is My Health Record—the personally controlled electronic health record of 23 million Australians. Although I know it is hard to believe, in the Morrison government's last budget no money at all was put aside to keep the My Health Record system going. Not a single dollar was extended to—

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What did you do in October?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals is warned. If he interjects one more time he will leave the chamber.

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

fund the My Health Record beyond 30 June. They were switching off the electronic health records of 23 million Australians in just 14 weeks time and expecting Australia's doctors, nurses and health professionals to dust off their fax machines because, apparently, they were putting digital health behind us.

Likewise, not a single dollar was put into the Morrison government budget last year to fund adult public dental health services.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will pause and I will hear from the member for Page on a point of order.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, it's on relevance. The ministers opposite continue to refer to the previous government when they're asked questions. It's a habit of theirs and it defies your ruling.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the feedback from the member, but the question was about why it is important to provide continuity of funding for vital health programs. The minister is being relevant. He is coming to the conclusion of his answer. I will remind him to remain relevant at all times to the question.

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am talking about ongoing programs usually funded for the full four years of a budget's forward estimates—in this case, the adult public dental scheme, which delivers vital dental services to 180,000 pensioners and lower income Australians every single year. It is not clear to me whether the former government deliberately intended to cut these services or just wanted to make their last budget look better. Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition, as a member of the budget committee, the ERC, can enlighten us on which one it was. (Time expired)