❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Health regarding discrepancies in reported health infrastructure spending, citing a significant decrease between 2022-23 and 2023-24. The Minister refutes the claim, attributing it to a misleading Liberal Party graphic and highlighting the overall health services budget.
AnsweredQoN 842Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH SERVICES — INVESTMENT
842. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to page 16 of the Annual
report on state finances and the minister's comments yesterday —
I
will never be accused of reducing health spending. That has not occurred under
this government; it has not �
In the minister's words, is
it ''misinformation'' and a ''blatant lie'' that
health infrastructure spending totalled $339 million in 2023–24, which
is 27 per cent less than the $464 million spent in 2022–23?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order,
please. I am waiting to be able to give the call—no hand gestures
either, thanks. I am waiting to be able to give the call to Minister for
Health.
842. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to page 16 of the Annual
report on state finances and the minister's comments yesterday —
I
will never be accused of reducing health spending. That has not occurred under
this government; it has not �
In the minister's words, is
it ''misinformation'' and a ''blatant lie'' that
health infrastructure spending totalled $339 million in 2023–24, which
is 27 per cent less than the $464 million spent in 2022–23?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order,
please. I am waiting to be able to give the call—no hand gestures
either, thanks. I am waiting to be able to give the call to Minister for
Health.
AnswerView source ↗
The graphic that I referred to
yesterday is a Liberal Party graphic that clearly says, ''WA Labor
Government Spending 2023–24'' and for health it has $339 million.
That is what it says. The budget papers, which the member has access to, have
the total —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I think
the minister is trying to give a clear explanation of the facts here. It is not
assisted by anyone interjecting.
Ms A. SANDERSON : The total
cost of services for health in 2023–24 was $12.6 billion. That is in
the budget. Nowhere on the graphic does it say infrastructure.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am going to
be taking the point of order from the member for Cottesloe in a moment and I remind all members that points of order are heard in silence. If for some
reason you want to make your own point of order, you can seek the call to do
that—do not interject.
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Madam
Speaker, I cannot hear the response from the minister because of the unedifying interjections of her own deputy leader of
the party. She is interjecting constantly throughout the minister's
response.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! It is
not assisting having another dozen of you call out. Leader of the Liberal
Party, the minister wants to give an
explanation and draw attention to the figures that she is quoting from the
budget. I think we need to be able to hear that. Following that, if you
have a supplementary, you will be able to ask it should you not continue to
interject.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : Thank you,
Speaker.
The
graphic that I quoted yesterday does not say anything about infrastructure; it
says WA Labor spending on health . That is what it says. It is on the
member's social media account and it has a Liberal Party graphic. It is
untrue and it is misleading because the actual budget papers, which are public
documents tabled and actually examined line by line in this place during
estimates, state that the overall cost of services is $12 billion, and that is
exactly what I said yesterday.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Quiet, please. I
will take the supplementary providing it is a supplementary.
yesterday is a Liberal Party graphic that clearly says, ''WA Labor
Government Spending 2023–24'' and for health it has $339 million.
That is what it says. The budget papers, which the member has access to, have
the total —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, I think
the minister is trying to give a clear explanation of the facts here. It is not
assisted by anyone interjecting.
Ms A. SANDERSON : The total
cost of services for health in 2023–24 was $12.6 billion. That is in
the budget. Nowhere on the graphic does it say infrastructure.
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am going to
be taking the point of order from the member for Cottesloe in a moment and I remind all members that points of order are heard in silence. If for some
reason you want to make your own point of order, you can seek the call to do
that—do not interject.
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : Madam
Speaker, I cannot hear the response from the minister because of the unedifying interjections of her own deputy leader of
the party. She is interjecting constantly throughout the minister's
response.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! It is
not assisting having another dozen of you call out. Leader of the Liberal
Party, the minister wants to give an
explanation and draw attention to the figures that she is quoting from the
budget. I think we need to be able to hear that. Following that, if you
have a supplementary, you will be able to ask it should you not continue to
interject.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms A. SANDERSON : Thank you,
Speaker.
The
graphic that I quoted yesterday does not say anything about infrastructure; it
says WA Labor spending on health . That is what it says. It is on the
member's social media account and it has a Liberal Party graphic. It is
untrue and it is misleading because the actual budget papers, which are public
documents tabled and actually examined line by line in this place during
estimates, state that the overall cost of services is $12 billion, and that is
exactly what I said yesterday.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Quiet, please. I
will take the supplementary providing it is a supplementary.
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