Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:11): I rise to update the house on Labor’s commitment to the health of all Victorians. Victorians know that when it comes to their health they can only trust Labor. That is because year on year we have increased the funding to our health services. This year alone we are investing more than $31 billion into our health service system. We are building and we have opened new and upgraded hospitals right across the state, as the Premier said, in Footscray, Frankston, Werribee, Sunbury, Phillip Island, Cranbourne, Craigieburn, Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo and Warrnambool, to name only a few. We have also grown our healthcare workforce by more than 50 per cent. That is over 40,000 more nurses and almost 8000 more doctors in our health service system, and of course we have increased our on-road ambulance workforce by almost 50 per cent. We will always back our healthcare workers and give them the support that they need.

Victorians know that when it comes to health they cannot trust those on the other side. We have increased funding by more than $11.1 billion this year alone, while those opposite have a $10.8 billion budget black hole. What the Liberal members need to do is explain to Victorians which of the 40,000 extra nurses they are going to sack in order to fill their black hole. They need to explain to Victorians –

Roma Britnell: Speaker, on a point of order on misleading the house, Warrnambool has had a 30 per cent cut to its funding to its health service.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: The question that Victorians are asking is: what workers are going to be cut from our healthcare system in order to fill the $10.8 billion black hole that the member for Kew has identified?

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, ministers statements are not an opportunity to sledge the opposition.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: On the point of order, Speaker, they are an opportunity to compare and contrast, which is what I am seeking to do.

The SPEAKER: Minister, I ask you to come back to your ministers statement.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Thank you very much, Speaker, but one thing is very clear and Victorians know that when it comes to their health they can only trust Jacinta Allan and the Victorian Labor government to deliver what our community needs.

The SPEAKER: Minister for Health, I ask you to remember to call members by their correct titles.