Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are eight on the other side and 21 over here. Excuse me while I choke! For seven months now I have been advocating for a practice nurse in a regional area, trying to find out why the previous government changed the rules, disallowing the possibility for a practice nurse to fulfil her obligations for 'recent hours in the practice' while working in order to renew her registration. Please do not snip at our fairy-tale budgetary interpretations measures when it was the previous government that made this change; and regional practice nurses are one of the unintended consequences. Where was Labor and the nurses' union when young nurses were desperate to retrain and get back to work after having a child? How do they assist them to get back to work? The answer is: they do not—no scholarships and no regional application of policies. Shame!

Those opposite speak of health and nurses, but when a previous Labor member announced extra beds in Tasmania, two wards were closed. To those opposite I say: 'don't make me laugh. Labor does not care about nurses or regional health care.' I welcome the chance to speak on this MPI because of the importance of health services in my regional electorate of Gilmore. Only yesterday I met with health minister, Peter Dutton, to talk about health care in my electorate; we spoke about issues like Headspace, bulk-billing, domestic violence services, counselling, MRI issues and more. Gilmore is one of the most healthcare-critical regions in the nation, and that truth is not something to be proud of, but something to advocate for. I am proud to say that on this side of the House we care about nursing and we care about health care.

In fact, the budget papers clearly show that there is no cut. Hospital funding from the government receives an increase of three years—in this budget annual hospital funding increases by over $5 billion. Our commitment to total hospital funding to the states is almost $70 billion over the four years to come. In my own state this goes to $5.9 billion in just three years' time. Those opposite go on about how one of their Kevin Rudd thought bubbles was to increase hospital funding by 10 per cent each year every year. Such an increase would take our current $15 billion health budget to a $40 billion debacle within a decade. Because we are not following this stupid, unaffordable Labor funding thought bubble, those opposite refer to it as cuts. Is it any wonder that we were left with a budget disaster when first-principle economics simply are not understood? It was another Labor thought bubble with no actual thought, no plan, no maturity and no accountability for this proposed expenditure. We are not cutting expenditure; we are just not spending imaginary Rudd dollars.

I find it farcical that those opposite bring this motion before the house today. And yet the Leader of the Opposition is short on how Labor would pay for its pie-in-the-sky health plan. The shadow minister the health never attempts to outline how Labor would find the nearly $15 billion a year extra they claim they can deliver for our hospitals. I guess they prefer the nurses to work in the dark because of the electricity costs.

Gilmore has many district nurses and those opposite even tried to destroy part of their income package by getting rid of the FBT, which is essential for regional nurses. It is not enough that regional areas were starved of funding with no accountability required, but those opposite introduced additional levels of bureaucracy. How on earth does that equate to assistance for frontline nurses? We will be happily investing in healthcare professionals, showing them the respect they deserve, increasing the Practice Nurse Incentives Program, putting in an extra $40 million for medical internships and extra funding for the General Practice Rural Incentives Program, which actually gives nurses an increased chance to work.

We in Gilmore, especially through the Shoalhaven campus of the University of Wollongong, have an outstanding School of Medicine and also one of nursing. This university welcomes the changes to higher education and has confirmed in a competitive environment that it is in the students' interest and that it is unlikely to see fee increases. Unlike those opposite, we know how precious our nurses really are and we will continue to support them by growing the economy so they can actually get a job.

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