Desperate claims by the Liberals that Federal Labor will cancel funding for 13 new Medicare-eligible MRI units are false.

Federal Labor is absolutely committed to delivering on the 13 new Medicare-eligible MRI units announced by Minister Abbott on 27 September, funding for which was included in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement released by the Government on the first day of the election campaign.

Funding for the new Medicare-eligible MRI units has been incorporated into Federal Labor's $2.5 billion health and hospitals reform plan.

Accordingly, Federal Labor submitted the measure included in MYEFO to Treasury and Finance as an offset against our health election commitments.

This means it has been included in our election commitments, not cut as Minister Abbott is claiming.

We have made clear that we fully support additional funding for MRI technology - for instance in our commitments to areas such as Cairns, Newcastle-Hunter, and Launceston. We have also committed to funding a Medicare-eligible MRI unit in Rockhampton in Queensland - which the Howard Government has steadfastly refused to do.

Therefore suggestions that Federal Labor will cancel new funding for MRI units are completely untrue.

In addition, Federal Labor has made no secret of the fact we will redirect funding from the Coalition’s hospital nursing schools policy to our superior plan to get more than 9000 extra nurses into Australian hospitals over the next five years.

Finally, if elected, Federal Labor will ensure all proceeds from the Health and Medical Infrastructure Fund are directed towards health and medical infrastructure, despite desperate claims by the Liberals to the contrary.