Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Senators on the other side would be aware that departmental activity occurs across a range of measures that the government has in place or, indeed, puts forward. But it is this coalition government that is going to offer the people of Western Australia a better plan when it comes to health. There is absolutely a stark contrast, a stark choice, for the people of Western Australia, whom Senator Sterle refers to, when it comes to health. We only have to look at the government as they were then—those sitting opposite—which promised to fix hospitals. Indeed, I think it was the previous leader—one of them—Prime Minister Rudd, who said there was actually going to be a referendum if the Labor government had not fixed hospitals. They failed on both counts. They failed to fix the hospitals and they absolutely failed to have the referendum they said that they would have to deal with the issue. (Time expired)