Wooldridge And Macklin Debate Health Policy

The retiring Health Minister, Dr. Michael Wooldridge, today debated his Labor opponent, Jenny Macklin, in a courteous and thoughtful encounter at Canberra's National Press Club.

A range of issues were touched upon in the one-hour debate, with the two politicians gently chiding each other over the relative costs of their proposals and the substance of their records.

During questions, Macklin was asked if she would stand for the leader's position if the ALP lost the November 10 election. She side-stepped the issue by claiming the party was aiming to win. Recently, Macklin has been spoken of as a future leadership possibility and received a free plug from Laurie Oakes in The Bulletin.

Macklin drew laughter when asked why the Victorian ALP, particularly in country seats such as Ballarat, was hiding Beazley behind Steve Bracks. She suggested it was not physically possible to do this.

• Listen to the Debate (60m)

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