Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Ministers statements: health services

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:08): Labor believes in universal health care. We founded Medicare because we believe that income should not dictate access to care. That is why on this side of the house we will always back our healthcare system and our hardworking healthcare workers. For the past three years we have had the good fortune of having a partner in Canberra who we can work with to roll back almost a decade of neglect under the former federal Liberal coalition government in Canberra. The Albanese Labor government has tripled the bulk-billing incentive, delivered cheaper medicines, supported our rollout of urgent care clinics and stopped the war on Medicare.

But it has not always been this way. Victorians remember Peter Dutton as health minister, who planned to cut $50 billion from our public healthcare system. We remember how he tried to introduce a GP co-payment and told us that there were too many free Medicare services. When Victorians cannot afford a visit to the GP, do you know where they go? They come to our emergency departments, and it is our hardworking healthcare workers who bear the brunt of this Liberal Party neglect and disdain for public health care. When Peter Dutton and his cut squad descended on Victoria yesterday, we heard the same hollow ‘No cuts to health’ –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, there is no such announced policy. That is a hypothetical, and I ask you to ask the minister to desist.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Minister for Health to clarify what she was referring to.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I was referring to what the federal Leader of the Opposition said yesterday. He said that there would be no cuts to health. We well remember when Tony Abbott said this back in 2013: ‘No cuts to health.’ This was all said.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I refer to your earlier ruling in relation to the minister’s ministers statement. Clearly we are on the first ministers statement and the government is abusing your ruling by using this as an opportunity to simply play political sledge games, and we expect it for the whole of question time.

The SPEAKER: The minister was referring to previous federal governments.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled on this point of order. It is about future governments that I ruled, not past governments.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: While we are talking about the past, let us not forget that Peter Dutton was the man that Australian doctors voted the worst health minister in a generation.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Leader of the House withdrew from chamber.