Turnbull warns of ALP repeat of Mediscare poll tactics

Malcolm Turnbull has identified inaccurate claims on hospital funding as a threat ahead of the five by-elections on July 28.

Malcolm Turnbull has identified Labor’s use of social media to ­accuse the government of slashing funding for hospitals as a key threat ahead of the five by-­elections on July 28 following the ­“Mediscare” campaign at the 2016 election.

The Prime Minister urged MPs at yesterday’s joint partyroom meeting to respond quickly to any “Labor lies” propagated on social media, and attacked Bill Shorten in question time for accusing the government of cutting funding to hospitals.

Mr Turnbull described as an “absolute lie” the opposition’s claims of a $2.9 million funding cut at Caboolture Hospital, located in the Queensland electorate of Longman, which has been forced to a by-election because Labor’s Susan Lamb was a dual citizen when she nominated for the 2016 poll.

“We have seen a 53 per cent increase in funding to local hospitals in that area, including to ­Caboolture Hospital,” he told parliament.

“There is record GP bulk billing in that electorate of 93 per cent.”

Mr Turnbull also used the joint partyroom to talk up his Tasman­ian FM radio interview ahead of the by-election in Braddon — which the Coalition lost at the 2016 election — but noted it would be difficult to win a seat from Labor at the “super Saturday” electoral contest.

In his radio interview, Mr Turnbull said claims that the government had cut hospital funding were an “insult to the intelligence of the people of Braddon”.

He also said commonwealth funding for Tasmanian public hospitals had increased by 42 per cent since Labor left office.

Mr Shorten, putting a focus on corporate tax cuts, told the Labor caucus meeting: “The only way to stop the cuts to hospitals and schools so $80 billion can go to multinationals is to vote Labor.”