STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Leader of the Opposition) (13:59): Pressure from the coalition has forced Labor to scrap its arbitrary cap on health services for our veterans, and I commend the members for Herbert and Riverina for their spirited fight against this arbitrary cap. I applaud our veterans, whose defiant roar ultimately won the day. It's unleashed unnecessary anguish in our veteran community, and there's no confidence in this minister.

I say to the Prime Minister: now the cap has been scrapped, scrap the minister. But you won't, Prime Minister. You'll paint this as just another change of position, always in denial about the damage being caused to this country.

Dodge, duck, dip and dive—that's this prime minister to a tee. Insults to the Japanese Prime Minister—dodge. Dubious grants to your golf club—duck.

Grubby best mate and disgraced adviser—dip. Refusing to acknowledge Islamist extremism—dive. I'll tell you what's revealing about this prime minister.

He cuts health services to our veterans, but he keeps funding welfare and housing deposits for non-Australians. Those opposite will always put Australians second. We'll always put Australians first.

The SPEAKER: I'm going to remind the Leader of the Opposition that minutes before he spoke I asked for there to be no slurs on members. There was an incredible amount of slurring in that 90-second address. We need to take this temperature down.

The way we're talking about members of parliament—I'm going to request everyone to focus on the policy, not the person. In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.