Wednesday, 31 August 2022

 Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (17:42): I will be brief in my contribution on the state budget today. In talking about the state budget I want to note the report on the 2022–23 budget estimates, which was tabled this week. It does make interesting reading, and there are some very important points that people should read. Facts: in 2022–23 it talks, for example, about finding that the 2022–23 budget represents a 7.5 per cent reduction from its 2021–22 revised budget due to lapsing of one-off funding and programs. I want to be also clear that the budget represents a decrease of $2 billion—7.5 per cent of funding—in health. The state government has refused to acknowledge that the health funding has fallen. Here is the black and white: it is very clear that health funding was here and now it is there. It has fallen. We see tents outside hospitals, we see huge waiting lists and we see a series of issues with emergency services—the 000 service—and yet health funding has been cut. It has fallen. It was higher then and it is less now. That is a cut by any other name. A cut is a cut is a cut, and that is what this government has done—it has cut health funding.