Data released under cover of the Budget shows Grampians region in Victoria (including Hindmarsh, Horsham, Yarriambiack, West Wimmera, Pyrenees and Northern Grampians shires) has Victoria’s second-worst wait times – an average of 388 days.

Labor chose to continue to divide, setting up arguments at the dinner table about whether mum, grandpa or the young adults deserve a better share of Labor’s socialist redistribution of wealth.

After four wasteful and divisive years of Labor government, by contrast the Coalition has demonstrated the competency and experience in Government to serve all Australians,” Dr Webster said.

"Australians need better connectivity right now, but this Budget has callously slashed funding for regional communications programs rather than increasing it,” Dr Webster said.

"Providers and workforce are thinner on the ground and hospitals are smaller in regional Australia, meaning Labor's neglect is felt significantly and inequitably in the regions.

A question a Senate inquiry might ask stakeholders is whether they specifically wanted a broad general prohibition, as this government has put forward. Consumer stakeholders may have wanted action taken.

There are 200,000 elderly Australians waiting to get assessed or to receive home-care support. Last time we checked, 5,000 people had died waiting to get onto aged-care support.

TOPICS: Federal Budget health spending, private health insurance rebate cut, aged care beds and services, private hospital viability

Mallee families are also feeling the pain of wages not keeping up with Labor’s inflation, with the Budget revealing the buying power of Australians’ wages has declined by 3 per cent under this government.“