5. Health Minister—Health Funding and Leadership CampaignHon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of HealthHealth Minister—Health Funding and Leadership Campaign5. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What indication if any has the Minister of Finance given him for Vote Health in Budget 2017 that led him to say I think we've got to be very careful before we look at tax cuts. We've got to make sure we are properly funding health and education to the level that people expect"?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): The member will understand that my excellent colleague Bill English and I have been busy on other matters and I would like to say he will make a very fine Prime Minister one day—it might be Monday; let us see. But look every year—[Interruption] Listen to this you will like this. [Interruption] Yes one day or Monday. Every year Mr English says the same thing to me. He says: "We will lift our investment in health but only Dr Coleman if you guarantee not to cut electives by 2200 when your budget has gone up by $3 billion; not to cut general surgery by 1500; paediatric surgery by 1000; plastic and burns surgery and ear nose and throat by 1300 despite getting that extra $3 billion." Then he says—bottom line—"We must not absolutely must not force over 440 patients to fly to Australia for basic cancer treatment. And above all" Mr English says to me "do not let the media say after 6 years 'It is inconceivable that a Government could spend so much money and make the system worse.' " I do not know—who do you think that might have been about?Mr SPEAKER: Order! The answer is certainly very long. Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I believe the Minister said he was quoting an official document from the Minister of Finance and I would like him to table it please.Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is very easily resolved. Was the Minister quoting from an official document?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I did not say that. What I said is that every year he—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am simply asking whether the Minister was quoting from an official document and if he was—Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No.Mr SPEAKER: Then that matter is easily resolved.Hon Annette King: Does the level of health funding that people expect include access to affordable GP visits the latest and best drugs that Australians have been getting for years but New Zealanders are paying for more than the miserable 1 hour a week home help for a 96-year-old and eye treatment before people go blind?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well look it includes lots of things including the dramatic lift in elective surgery under this Government the massive increase in first specialist assessments the 6000 extra doctors and there is an absolute expectation on behalf of the public that we will do more not less. They certainly do not want to have to fly to Australia for the basics of the health system like they used to have to.Hon Annette King: If leadership is the ability to make hard decisions why did he take over a year before increasing the drug budget to fund melanoma drugs for cancer patients many of whom died waiting for him to take action and to show some compassion and care?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Of course leadership is all about hard decisions and if that member was the leader she would have decided to leave the Parliament years ago and get on with life. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Is this a supplementary question? [Interruption] Order!Hon Annette King: Why has he decided to sabotage Bill English's second shot at leadership by saying health needs to be properly funded at the level people expect implying the reasons for the growing problems in health are not his fault but the Scrooge-like behaviour of the Minister of Finance?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I think actually that one feature of what has gone down over the last few days is the excellent collegial spirit in which the competition has been held. And I can tell you what this is important—Hon Paula Bennett: They can't believe it eh?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Because they are not used to this. But whoever comes out of that room is going to have the total backing of the whole National Party and if—this bit is very important—it is Bill English I will be 100 percent behind him. I will not do a Cunliffe to Goff. And Bill English should he be the Prime Minister will lead us to a great victory in 2017. You guys opposite will be there for a lot longer yet.Hon Annette King: Is the real reason why he was so eager to stand as leader apart from naked ambition utu because he agrees with Judith Collins that Bill English has held back funding from portfolios like health and education and has made him look like a loser?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there is ministerial responsibility—Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The only utu we are seeing in New Zealand is the 50 percent polling that the public is inflicting on the Labour Party because they are absolutely sick to death of that crowd over there and there is no way they ever want them back in Government. Quite frankly they are unlikely to see a Labour Government back here for a good two or three terms yet.Mr SPEAKER: Question No. 6—[Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! A little less interjection—I am calling Jonathan Young."