Sue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Minister Ludwig, the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. Can the minister confirm that Rudd Labor is contributing $242 million of the $250 million healthcare policy announced by Queensland Labor during the election campaign? Does this bailout confirm that the Rudd Labor government has no confidence in the Queensland state Labor government’s ability to fix its own hospitals?

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

It is good to get this question on health because what it reminds me is that when the opposition were in government they ripped out $1 billion from hospitals. For far too long hospitals had been starved of money. The previous government cut $1 billion from public hospitals, and of course that $1 billion cut from public hospitals was not only from New South Wales and Victoria; it was also from Queensland. That is what the opposition did.

Of course, what this government has done is step up to the plate to ensure that hospitals receive funding from the federal government. The Rudd government immediately acted on health. On coming to office the Rudd government grasped the nettle to ensure that there was reform of health funding, with an immediate injection of $1 billion last year, as a down payment. Now there is a massive $64.4 billion health deal with the states including Queensland—up to $22.4 billion more on the old agreement. Under stage 1, the $600 million elective surgery plan we funded, we negotiated for public hospitals to perform an extra 25,000 operations, including in Queensland, and 41,500 extra procedures have been carried out, including in Queensland. It is important to note that what this government has done, in relation to health, is take the initiative and ensure that funding flows to states through a range of mechanisms. We have allocated, in addition to simply hospital funding, an additional $275 million for 31 GP superclinics, for which nine contracts have been signed. That will include matters right across Australia. (Time expired)

Sue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the record and catastrophic mismanagement of the Queensland state health system by the state Labor government—including the Patel horror story, fewer hospital beds now than there were 10 years ago, overloaded emergency departments, substantial withdrawal of maternity services in rural and regional areas, and unaccredited doctors operating in Bundaberg and Rockhampton, and the list goes on—why should the people of Queensland have any faith in the ability of the Queensland Labor government to fix that system?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I am not at all precious about these things, but it seemed to me there was no question of relevance to the minister’s portfolio in that. She asked him a question about the Queensland government, which has got nothing to do with his responsibilities.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, very briefly in response to Senator Evans’s point of order: the simple fact is that the Prime Minister did say the buck stopped with him during the election campaign. Also, another simple fact—and this has not been denied by Senator Ludwig—is that, of the $250 million to be spent in the Queensland state Labor health system, the federal government is contributing $242 million. Therefore the minister for health has a clear stake in the Queensland state health system.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ludwig, you have to answer that part of the supplementary question that pertains to your portfolio. If there are things that do not pertain, you are not expected to answer those things.

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

It is a serious issue—public health—and, unfortunately, what the opposition have now done is use it to try to— (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I do not think the clock was reset after I raised a point of order after Senator Boyce finished her question because five seconds later Senator Ludwig—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having just consulted, the advice that I have is that the clock did appear to be properly set. I can only go on the advice that was given to me. It may well not have been.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I can only go on the advice that I have been given. But it might be wrong advice. You might wish to contest the advice, but I will always act on the advice that I am given from the table. The advice that I was given from the table was that the clock was properly set. I will ask the clerk if that was the correct advice. I have just been told it appears to have been, but he is not sure, and I am not sure myself, in which case I will go down the path of leaving the question sit and the answer sit and I will go to the next supplementary question.

Sue Boyce (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. My further supplementary question is also directed to Senator Ludwig. Given that Dr Chris Davis, of the Australian Medical Association in Queensland, has said that the Queensland system is too inflexible to allow efficient management of any more money thrown into it and too inflexible to handle the sheer number of patients, isn’t this just further proof that the Queensland state Labor government has failed in its duty of care to Queensland hospital patients? When will the federal Labor government act to ensure that the buck does stop with them?

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

It does seem, quite frankly, that the opposition are trying to progress their state election credentials here, but it is an important issue. What we have said in relation to the historic COAG meeting—and this is about what the opposition could not do—is they failed, when they were in government, to work through how you then reach agreement through a COAG process to ensure that you do fund hospitals and that you do address waiting lists and that you do make sure that the government can provide $64.4 billion over five years to the states and territories to improve health and hospitals. That package includes several national partnerships to strengthen our hospitals, including Queensland’s, and the health workforce because the workforce is critical to ensuring preventative health and Indigenous health outcomes. The health agreement reached at COAG— (Time expired)