Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Conroy. I remind the minister of the government's $403 million in retrospective cuts to public hospital funding this financial year as part of its $1.6 billion in funding cuts for public hospitals in MYEFO. Will the government rule out further retrospective cuts to public hospital funding midway through a financial year in the future?

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

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order—on relevance. I asked the minister a very clear question, and that was: will the government rule out further retrospective cuts to public hospital funding midway through a financial year in the future? It is a simple question—yes or no will suffice.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question. The minister is being directly relevant to the question that was asked. The minister still has eight seconds remaining.

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

I cannot rule out that Premier Baillieu will not cut more funds from Victorian hospitals; I cannot rule out that Mr Barry O'Farrell will not cut more funding to New South Wales nurses and beds. (Time expired)

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the government reinstate funding retrospectively cut from states other than Victoria?

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

As I was saying before, Premier Campbell Newman must stop his dishonest political scare campaign.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Senator Brandis, you can take your point of order, but I am going to draw the minister's attention to the question. The minister has been asked a question which he needs to address.

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

Mr President, if you live in Queensland—and actually, you do, Mr President—you are well aware of the state of hospital funding. You are well aware of the record increases that the Commonwealth government has already provided to Queensland, and you, Mr President, would be well aware of the savage cuts that Campbell Newman, the Premier, has made in Queensland.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Brandis, you will be given the call when there is order—on both sides.

When there is silence we will proceed.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: the minister's answer is no more relevant to the question than it was when you directed him to answer the question. He was asked whether the government would reinstate the retrospective funding cuts in states other than Victoria. He is defying your ruling, and you should either sit him down or insist that he answer the question.

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

There is no point of order. The minister still has 25 seconds remaining. I am listening closely to the minister's answer and you are quite correct: early on in the piece I did draw the minister's attention to the question, and I draw the minister's attention to the question once again. The minister has 25 seconds.

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

That is right. The premise of the senator's questions is that the federal government has been reducing funding to Queensland. This is false. Premier Newman is engaged in a deliberately deceitful campaign—

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! If senators wish to debate the issue, the time is post question time. Senator Conroy, continue.

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

Thank you, Mr President. Premier Newman should stop covering up his savage cuts. Four thousand—

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: I am very interested as a senator for Tasmania to know if the $22 million cut from the Tasmanian budget under this program will be reinstated. I ask you to draw the senator's attention to the question.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Senator Wong is seeking the call. She is entitled to be heard in silence.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. On the point of order, I appreciate that those opposite might be embarrassed to be reminded about just how much has been cut from coalition states' budgets, but I submit that it is entirely relevant to the question about health funding.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! That is debating the issue. Time has expired for answering the question. I cannot draw the minister's attention to that question as time has expired.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. When will the government end the blame game and fix public hospitals as first promised by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd six years ago? Remember this? 'I will take responsibility for fixing our hospital systems'—Kevin Rudd, Labor Party. Remember this?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order on my right! I am waiting to call Senator Conroy to give the answer. I need silence. Senator Conroy.

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

Thank you, Mr President. Again, Labor's record of increasing public hospital funding is strong. Over the last five years, Commonwealth funding for public hospital services has significantly increased through the introduction of a generous indexation formula and an increase to base funding for public hospitals of $500 million per annum. The Victorian government are cutting their health budget by $616 million. The federal health funding to Victoria has increased by 26 per cent. Queensland have cut their budget by $3 billion; federal health funding to Queensland has grown 21 per cent.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Senator Conroy, as much as I enjoy listening to the answer, I cannot hear it because of the interjections on both sides.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think you are misleading the Senate.

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

Thank you for your assistance, Senator Abetz.

Senator Ronaldson interjecting—

Thank you, Senator Ronaldson. I do appreciate it, but I would like to hear the answer that Senator Conroy is giving and not the interjections that are coming from both sides. Senator Conroy.

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

Thank you, Mr President. Those opposite are simply trying to cover for their Liberal state mates. They have been slashing beds, slashing nurses and they want to try and blame someone else. They have been looking after their mates. (Time expired)