Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to talk again, Senator Fierravanti-Wells, about what this government has been doing to increase funding—to increase funding, not as is being suggested, reduce it. Let us talk about New South Wales. There is a massive Commonwealth investment in New South Wales delivering more doctors, more nurses, more beds and more services to patients. Commonwealth funding to New South Wales will increase from $4.8 billion to $5.9 billion over the next four years, an increase of $1.1 billion, or 23 per cent.

We are delivering $378 million more this year than New South Wales would have received if the healthcare agreement of Mr Abbott was still in place. That is right: $378 billion more than the healthcare package Mr Abbott negotiated on behalf of those opposite. With this record investment it is clear that the New South Wales government should concentrate on service delivery rather than giving inaccurate and untrue information to those opposite, because this government is delivering record funding in New South Wales.

Queensland is another state which is trying to claim that the Commonwealth government is reducing health funding. Well, Mr Campbell Newman should stop his dishonest political scare campaign and start delivering better health services to Queensland families.