Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The Gillard government has made a once-in-a-generation health reform agreement with the states and territories. It will mean more beds, more funding, more transparency, less bureaucracy, less waste and less waiting for patients. When it comes to the stagnant performance in health spending, you have to look no further than the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, who cut $1 billion when he was health minister and who is now searching for $70 billion of service cuts. Labor's health reform will ensure 1,300 more subacute beds are available and that we have better emergency departments and more elective surgery. To fill the $70 billion of cuts to services, Mr Abbott would have to cut those and much, much more. Labor's health reform will keep people healthy and out of hospital, providing more health services closer to home. This includes— (Time expired)