Health Budget

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Acting Minister for Health a question related to Country Health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In the run-up to the last state election the Labor Party promised to, and I quote, 'create more country jobs in regional communities', noting that 'people are best placed to make local decisions when they are part of the local community'.

According to last week's budget papers, over the next 12 months SA Health is intending to cut the number of staff employed across the Country Health SA Local Health Network by 124 full-time equivalent positions in the 2015-16 financial year. As I asked yesterday, and the minister undertook to provide an answer:

1. Does the government stand by its promise to create more Country Health jobs in regional communities?

2. Will the 124 positions removed from Country Health by June 2015 be consistent with the government's commitment to create more Country Health jobs in regional communities?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for the same question again, and I know that we will continue to work towards our election commitments. But it takes a lot of front, of which the Hon. Stephen Wade has a lot, to talk about health like this. It is hugely hypocritical that he has asked this question, given everyone knows that Labor will always invest more in health and education than the Liberals—we will always do that.

Just look at the $5.5 billion worth of cuts that the Hon. Stephen Wade's federal mates have made to the hospital and school funding in South Australia over the next 10 years and not a word from him, not a single word when his federal mates, when Christopher Pyne, the member for Sturt, his factional boss, makes these huge cuts—the self-appointed head of politics in South Australia makes these huge cuts—and not a word from the shadow health minister, not a single word; $80 billion in health and education cut across Australia.

Labor will always invest more in health and education. Contrast that with the last time the Liberals were here. I can't remember who it was, but the education minister at the time shut 45 schools—45 schools down to the last Liberal education minister. Labor will always invest more in health and education.