Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

They do dictate; Senator Abetz is right. It is also interesting to note that none of the pieces of legislation which are of particular interest to the Australian Greens are subject to the guillotine. The Stronger Futures piece of legislation, which I know the Greens have a great interest in is—surprise, surprise!—not listed to be subject to the guillotine, but these other pieces of legislation are.

Deputy President, I know you are pretty good with maths in your head but I just want to take you through the timings which are provided for each of these pieces of legislation. The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill has about 10 hours and 20 minutes. You might think that 10 hours and 20 minutes sounds pretty reasonable for debate on a piece of legislation but you have to consider the background—the context—of a particular piece of legislation. The members of the Australian Labor Party, you will recall, went to successive elections putting their hands on their hearts and swearing that they would not alter the private health insurance rebate one bit. I think Kevin Rudd said, 'Not one jot; not one tittle.' I am not sure what that meant, but he said it. I took that to mean that it would not be changed in any way, shape or form. I think that is the only way that you can take that phrase, 'It won't be changed—not one jot; not one tittle.'

I remember Nicola Roxon putting her hand on her heart, staring down the barrel of the TV camera and saying, as previous shadow minister for health: 'We have no intention. We won't change the private health insurance rebate. We won't scrap it. We won't means test it.' Julia Gillard, when in opposition, said the same thing: 'We won't scrap it. We won't means test it.' Kevin Rudd said the same thing: 'We wont' scrap it. We won't means test it.' They said it before that election and guess what they did. They then said, 'We want to means test the private health insurance rebate.' They were defeated in this place time and again but last election, if you go through their health policy, you will not find reference to it. They have never taken to the Australian people at an election a proposition to either abolish or means test the private health insurance rebate.