Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight in relation to document No. 9, this report of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency. I want to talk about a health matter tonight, and the health matter I want to talk about is the action of the Gillard government in relation to hospital funding not just in Victoria but around the country. Last weekend we saw a contemptuous attempt by this government to pull the wool over voters' eyes through a series of advertisements in Victorian newspapers claiming that Labor was 'injecting $107 million into Victorian hospitals'. The ad then went on to say, 'This will reverse cuts made by the Victorian government.' That is a blatant, outright lie, and the truth is that it is not extra money that the Gillard government suddenly found; it is $107 million that was snatched out of the budget last November and that they are reinstating. So this notion that they are injecting $107 million is a blatant lie, and the statement that it will reverse cuts made by the Victorian government is also a blatant lie.

It was clearly shown by the Victorian state government and other states that the federal government's data methodology was flawed and that the impact of that on Victoria's and other states' hospital services was quite dramatic. To say that they will put an extra $107 million into the hospitals as if it were new money is simply not correct.

I want to mention some comments by my Victorian state counterpart, the member for Western Victoria, Simon Ramsay, who last week called for a Senate inquiry in relation to the blatant misuse of taxpayers' funds by the Gillard government for these misleading full- and half-page advertisements. As Mr Ramsay said, 'There has been a total fabrication of the truth.' I have colleagues from Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales who I know are equally aggrieved about these hospital funding cuts. It is only Victoria that has been so-called rescued by the Gillard government to protect some marginal seats; that is the only reason this has been done. But it is being done on the back of a blatant lie that it was new money when it was not. It was money that had been ripped out of the Victorian hospital system by this government, and they were forced and shamed into returning it.

If you look further, from 1 July 2013 a further $368 million will continue to be cut from Victoria's hospitals over three years. The impact of this in those fantastic regional cities of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo is quite dramatic. In the seat of Corangamite, the Liberal candidate, Sarah Henderson, is working very hard for her community to fight these sorts of cuts. Back in December Ms Henderson said:

These cuts are absolutely heartless because they’ve been made by Labor in the hope that it will achieve a phony surplus.

The impact on Barwon Health and Colac Area Health have been quite dramatic. In Bendigo, the Liberal candidate there, Greg Bickley, was spot on when he said last year:

These cuts were, as I said early in the year, disgraceful and callous.

The Liberal candidate for Ballarat, John Fitzgibbon, quite accurately said:

This is a major embarrassment for the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and for the Health Minister.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing is, of course, Catherine King. Catherine King saw what these cuts were doing to Ballarat electorate hospitals and she did nothing about it. She refused to go in and fight for her constituents, and for that she stands utterly condemned. (Time expired)

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a good opportunity to talk about preventative health and what is happening in my home town of Cairns. Last Monday, a week ago, the Chair of the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Board, Mr Bob Norman, who is known as a very strong supporter of the Liberal Party, stood up and announced that 234 jobs were going to be lost from our hospital. That is on top of a quarter of the jobs on Thursday Island and on top of jobs going from Mosman hospital, from the Mareeba Hospital and from the Innisfail Hospital. In doing that, he took out of his book the classic blame-game language and blamed the federal government for these 234 jobs that are being lost by saying that $6½ million had been taken from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital budget. He made no mention in that speech of the $3 billion that the state government have taken out of their contribution to the Queensland health budget—no mention at all. It was up to community discussion to try and pick out the facts, as they have now come to be revealed, in Mr Norman's funny figuring. If anyone does any sort of work and understands how much on average a hospital worker costs, you will come to a figure of just over $100,000. If you multiply 234 jobs by about $100,000—just to make it easy—it comes to a much larger figure than $6.5 million. So Mr Norman was caught out on that matter initially.

I turn to the way that some of these people were told that they were not of benefit to the health services in North Queensland. Mr Gavin King, who happens to be the state member for Cairns, went out into the media saying these jobs were not frontline jobs, these jobs were not delivering babies and these jobs were not doing important work that happens in our hospitals. So you can imagine that 234 people went home that night thinking, 'What I've been doing, what I've been giving to the people of Queensland, what I've been trying to do for'—in one case—'14 years as a doctor in mental health—all those things I've been doing have been for nothing.' It was offensive not only because of the fact that they lost their jobs but also because they were told that what they were doing has been useless.

Let us now turn to where these jobs have been lost. On Tuesday of last week I had my normal mammogram. Leaving the Cairns breast clinic I said in passing to the woman who gave me the mammogram: 'You guys are all right, aren't you? You'll be okay?' She did not burst into tears but it looked close: they were told that morning that four of their number were going to lose their jobs, but they were not told who. It took days for them to know who was losing their job. That is appalling management, and I sheet that home to Mr Norman, who was appointed by the LNP government and is known to us all in North Queensland as an LNP supporter.

We have lost almost all of our sexual health services in North Queensland. We have lost basically all of our mental health team, particularly those who work in Cape York. We had been making good inroads into the issues of mental health, and what do we find but that all of the doctors and nurses who have been doing work in Cape York around mental health have lost their jobs. I have said that this is a short-sighted measure: it is an extraordinarily short-sighted measure. This will mean that despite the preventive health work that has been done in breast screening, in HIV and AIDS, in sexual health and in mental health—just to mention four areas—we will now end up with more people in our hospital system taking up beds with breast cancer, with HIV and with mental health conditions because the preventive health work has not been done. This is dangerous for the health of the far north, and I sheet this home directly to Mr King and Mr Newman regarding the short-sighted decisions that have been made in our town.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency report—when I finish I want to come back to try to reserve for future debate some of those documents that have already passed by, but at the moment I talk to this report, document No. 9. Fortuitously, I was here to hear the previous speaker, Senator McLucas, at last making a comment on health in Cairns. I do not remember Senator McLucas saying anything when some Pacific Island prince spent millions of dollars of health funds under the Labor government—

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's a criminal!

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are saying he is a criminal now. Where was your comment when Labor was in charge and destroyed the health system of Queensland with waste and mismanagement? Did we hear a peep from Senator McLucas then? Not a word. It is good to see her now taking at least a little interest in what is happening in Cairns.

It is rather disturbing to me that a senator would come in here and, under the privilege of coward's castle—

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

And you've never used it!

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say some things about politicians who can come back and respond. Senator McLucas talked about a very distinguished North Queenslander, Mr Bob Norman, who is a well-known philanthropist and educationalist and a significant businessman of the Sir Robert Norman stock. Young Bob, as I call him, has made a significant contribution to Cairns and Far North Queensland—far more of a contribution than Senator McLucas has done or ever will do.

For Senator McLucas to use the privilege of this chamber to attack a man who has considerably benefited society, the business community and the social community of Cairns over such a long period—

Government senators interjecting—

We have the quota girls up the back. Has someone written those interjections for you, senators?

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, you need to refer to the two senators in this chamber appropriately. I ask you to withdraw that comment whereby you reflected on those two senators just then.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw the comment 'quota girls' and I will say to the two senators—

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You need to refer to them by their correct title please, Senator Macdonald.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw the comment 'quota girls' and I refer to the two senators from Tasmania—is that the correct description?—

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, they are senators from Tasmania.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say to the two senators from Tasmania: has someone written those interjections for you? Because the only time we hear from you is when you have Mr McTernan writing a speech that you get up here and read to this chamber. Madam Acting Deputy President, excuse my anger at this, but I am incensed that Senator McLucas, supported by these two—

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. I think that Senator Macdonald is reflecting on the character of senators in this place—which is against the standing orders—by trying to assert that speeches have been written by people from other offices. I think it is totally inappropriate and he should withdraw the inference.

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call Senator Ronaldson to respond to that point of order, I remind people that we are taking note of documents and we are taking note of the annual report of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order: clearly Senator Macdonald was not so reflecting. With the greatest of respect, I think that my friend Senator Polley is just being a little precious about this. The comment was withdrawn before, so there is no point of order.

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are taking note of documents. Senator Macdonald, are you continuing?

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very keen to talk on the preventive health care document and I reflect on what a great job Lawrence Springborg is doing in Queensland with preventive health, but he is doing it in very difficult circumstances. The previous Labor government ran Queensland into debt of some $95 billion. It is almost up to the extent that the former Labor government ran up the Australian economy. For Senator McLucas to then blame significant Far North Queenslander Mr Bob Norman for the ills of the Labor Party and their complete mismanagement of Queensland Health is just beyond the pale. There have been, of necessity, job cuts right throughout Queensland in health and in other areas. Why? Because the Queensland government simply cannot afford to pay them. No longer can they afford to borrow money as the federal Labor Party government does—they just keep borrowing. Someday there will have to be a reckoning.

In the instance of Cairns, most of the jobs that went were, in fact, not frontline jobs. A lot of them were clerical, administrative and advertising jobs that Senator McLucas and her left-wing cohorts in Far North Queensland had been building up for years. I am pleased to say that Mr Norman and the Queensland state government are focusing health in Tropical North Queensland on the issues that really count. I look forward to a continuation of good administration of the Cairns regional hospital, and they will certainly get that with a distinguished Tropical North Queenslander, Mr Bob Norman, administering the health system. (Time expired)

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, your time has expired; are you going to seek leave to continue your remarks, or shall we take note of that report?

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, if nobody else wants to speak on it I will seek leave to continue my remarks, Madam Acting Deputy President. While I am on my feet, Madam Acting Deputy President, I will not speak on them now but can I reserve by moving to take note of, and continue my remarks on, documents Nos 5, 6, 7 and 8? That would all be by leave, because I understand they have been dealt with, but if I seek leave to—

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have dealt with document No. 8 already; we have it still already on the Notice Paper. So do you want to go back and keep documents Nos 5, 6 and 7 on the Notice Paper?

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, that would be my request, by leave. I will not speak on them now.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.