Greg Hunt’s lies on hospitals funding show how desperate he is to distract from Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts and Labor’s positive plan for our hospitals.
Last night, Bill Shorten announced that a Labor Government will invest more in every single public hospital in the country. Labor’s Better Hospitals Fund will see $2.8 billion extra investment from 2019 to 2025, fully reversing Turnbull’s cuts and funding more beds, more vital services and more doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
In a bizarre interview today, Hunt tried to argue against basic maths and lied repeatedly about Labor’s plan.
Here are the facts on hospitals funding.
Liberal lie: Labor’s investment is one-tenth of the Government’s policy.
The facts: As Bill Shorten announced last night, Labor’s $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund is on top of the Government’s Budget baseline. Labor’s investment will fully reverse Turnbull’s cuts from 2019 to 2025 (from after the next election to the end of the Government’s proposed agreement).
Liberal lie: The Government isn’t cutting hospitals funding.
The facts: At the 2013 election, the Liberals promised “no cuts to hospitals” and to “support the transition to the Commonwealth providing 50 per cent growth funding”. But the Government lied and is only funding 45 per cent – meaning a cut of $2.8 billion from 2019-25, which Labor will fully reverse.
Liberal lie: Labor’s policy isn’t costed or funded.
The facts: Labor’s extra hospitals investment has been fully costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. It will have a financial impact of $764 million over the forward estimates and $2.814 billion over six years from 2019-25.
This investment is fully funded – including by not proceeding with a $80 billion tax handout to big business.
Liberal lie: Labor has a $54 billion budget hole.
The facts: The Government’s own Treasury estimated that the 2014 Budget cut $57 billion from Australia’s public hospitals.
After a backlash from patients and hospital staff, Malcolm Turnbull restored some of this funding ahead of the 2016 election. The fact he wants Australians to thank him for doing better than Tony Abbott shows how out-of-touch he is.
But Turnbull’s policy still makes $2.8 billion in cuts from 2019-25 compared to the Government’s own promise in 2013. Labor will fully restore this funding.
Liberal lie: Hospitals funding is at record levels.
The facts: There will be 5 million extra people living in Australia in 2025 than there were in 2015. The independent experts say “spending is actually declining on a per capita basis” and warn “Australians will either become sicker or be forced to pay more for medical care”.
Instead of peddling desperate lies about Labor’s positive plans, Greg Hunt and Malcolm Turnbull should drop their $80 billion tax handout and work with Labor to fix our hospitals.
FRIDAY, 11 MAY 2018
Authorised by Noah Carroll ALP Canberra