Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Because of the pressure of the unsustainability of this, reform was sought by the federal government. Indeed, states and territories had been pleading for years with the federal government, with the Leader of the Opposition—but with those pleas falling on deaf ears—for structural reform. At the Council of Australian Governments meeting, which took place following the last sitting week, we have struck a new national agreement which delivers that reform—a new national agreement where the federal government and state and territory governments will step up as equal partners in growth. This is a major structural financing reform which will end forever the spectre that funding public hospitals could become unsustainable for state governments.

But with this increase in resources comes new requirements for reform. We are going to make sure money goes where it is needed through a single national funding pool, more transparency than ever before, so Australians can see dollars in and dollars out in their healthcare system. We have used our market based tools to ensure that these reforms work effectively—an efficient price to be set so we see no more waste and less bureaucracy with eight bureaucracies heralded in earlier reforms not being proceeded with, empowered local communities through local hospital networks and a transformation in the role of local communities in our healthcare system. We are also stepping up to improve our primary care system, because everybody knows that if you can be kept well and not need to go to hospital that is best for everyone—best for the patient, best for the system. This is a new national reform agreement that will herald a new era of health care: more money, more doctors, more nurses, less waste, less bureaucracy and less waiting time.

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