Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Page for her question, because working families across Australia have a deep interest in the future of the health and hospital system of Australia. Australians have a fundamental interest in making sure that our system is got right for the future. Every year Australians make about 115 million visits to the doctor. Every year the nation’s 768 public hospitals deliver some 49 million hospital services to the Australian public. All this is made possible by a dedicated Australian health workforce made up of something like 60,000 doctors, 230,000 nurses and 134,000 allied health professionals. This comes at great cost to the Australian taxpayer. Taxpayers at present pay some $71.2 billion each year to support this public health system of Australia.

We have to look, however, at how this system of ours is sustainable into the future. By international standards our health and hospital system performs well, but it is under great pressure. The demand for health services in Australia is rapidly outweighing the supply of those services, and the reasons are pretty plain: firstly, an expanding population; secondly, an ageing population; and, thirdly, of course, great advances in medical technology. I also say to those opposite and to the House at large: the proportion of those over the age of 65 is increasing and is expected to increase around sevenfold, which means that the overall burden on our health and hospital system for the future will be greater indeed.

The other point of stress in the system for the future is—

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