Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

After the opposition’s neglect and the ripping out of a billion dollars from the hospital system, we have invested in the whole health system. We have invested in a modern health system for a modern Australia, unlike those opposite who are not prepared to agree to pursue health and hospital reform with us.

The Liberals cut $1 billion out of it and now they come whingeing to this chamber to say that we are not doing enough. We are doing more than you ever contemplated. For 12 years the former government played the blame game. That is all you did: you played the blame game with the states over hospitals and you never—through you, Mr President—came up with a long-term plan to deal with the health and hospital system in Australia. In 2000, under the Liberals, the health workforce shortage affected in the order of 60 per cent of Australians.

This government has got on with the business of managing. We have looked at how we can provide healthcare agreements that will deliver $64 billion over five years, an increase of more than $20 billion, or 50 per cent, over the last agreement. We can have a look at what it means for individual states: New South Wales, $19.8 billion; Queensland, $12.01 billion; WA, $6.17 billion; Tasmania, $1.13 billion—more than you have ever turned your minds to. All the opposition did was work out how they could reduce funding. They did not bring a long-term plan forward. They did not even consider there was a need for the national Preventative Health Taskforce, which we established with Professor Rob Moodie. We have also launched— (Time expired)