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

The response we have had from the medical profession, from nurses right across the country, has been to get behind this reform for the nation because they want more resources to go to front-line health and hospital services, not into bureaucracies in state capitals across the country. That is what the people of Australia are calling out for.

In response to the member for Boothby’s intervention, coming on top of the Leader of the Opposition’s question, can I say as follows: (1) bring in activity based funding and (2) make sure that the Australian government takes on its shoulders, for the first time in Australia’s history, the burden of becoming the dominant funder of the public hospital system of Australia. We are for the first time in our history becoming the dominant funder of the capital needs of Australia’s public hospital system, for the first time becoming the dominant funder of the equipment needs of Australia’s public hospital system and for the first time becoming the dominant funder of the research and teaching needs of the public hospital system of Australia.

People want an end to business as usual. The Leader of the Opposition, who had five years as health minister, is content with the status quo. He is content with not changing a thing. He thinks the system is just good enough. I say to the Leader of the Opposition and to the member for Boothby: (1) we take on this reform to deliver money directly to the coalface, (2) we take on our shoulders the burden of long-term growth in the system and (3) as the minister for health and others have indicated, we have further say on additional growth in the system in the future as well. This is in stark contrast to a Leader of the Opposition who ripped $1 billion out of the public hospital system of Australia and stands here and pretends that he never, ever did it.

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