Senator LUDWIG (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister Assisting on Queensland Floods Recovery) (14:55): I thank Senator Nash for her continued interest in rural matters, particularly in the health portfolio. My brief does not have anything specific on this particular matter. It is certainly a matter that I will take on notice and get back to you with a proper brief. It does sound that the question would fall more properly within the immigration portfolio as a general response. Senator Abetz: That's a Penny Wong line. Senator Wong: It is deportation. Senator LUDWIG: It is more accurate. I will get a brief from the health minister but once we start talking about deportation matters it does seem to be more relevant to the immigration minister and decisions made by the immigration minister. It does seem, though, that if we talk about the key messages from this issue, the Department of Health and Ageing and the minister have been very focused on providing support for rural Australia, providing additional measures, unlike the previous government, which ripped a billion dollars out of the health system. Since 2007, we have been delivering better health services for Australians. We have delivered more than 900,000 elective surgery operations, 2.2 million GP superclinic services. If the substance of the question was to say that this— Senator Abetz: You've taken it on notice. Senator LUDWIG: But if the substance of the question was to say that this government has not been proactive in the health portfolio, then it would be an error to say that. If you look at the work that the minister has done in this area, particularly by increasing hospital funding by 50 per cent and investing in emergency department upgrades of 37 hospitals, then it would be wrong to suggest that. (Time expired)