Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister explain what action the government has taken to put our health system on a long-term sustainable footing?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hindmarsh for his question. He has taken an active interest in issues of health and ageing on both sides of House, and I am sure that he will be very interested in the fact that our Health and Hospitals Reform Commission had its first meeting today. I attended that meeting this morning and met with not all 10 of the top-quality people who we have appointed to provide us with high-level advice on how to create a modern health system for a modern Australia.

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, as people would know, was appointed two weeks ago by the Prime Minister and has responsibility for developing a long-term health reform plan for the country. We on this side of the House know that a long-term reform plan is needed. Of course, those on the other side of the House spent 11 years denying that there was any required reform in our health system. In fact, the previous Minister for Health and Ageing used to proudly declare himself to be anti reform, while a whole range of issues bubbled along in the health sector with no attention being given to them. There was the ripping of money out of the hospital system, allowing preventable hospital admissions to grow and 60 per cent of the country being affected by areas of health workforce shortage—something both the Leader of the Opposition and the former minister for health have acknowledged was the responsibility of early decisions of the Howard government. There was also a nursing shortage, and we are facing a whole range of other demographic changes which will affect the burden on our health system.

So, at the first meeting today of the Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, part of the agenda was to further the work on performance reporting that this government has committed to. This was a Rudd Labor election promise and it is being delivered by a Rudd Labor government. Today the Health and Hospitals Reform Commission is meeting with the Institute of Health and Welfare, private hospitals, insurers and the states and territories to further this national reporting, which will apply to all hospitals across all states, across both sectors, and will involve reporting by the Commonwealth as well. This reflects the dual-tack approach that we are taking to health: both immediate reforms that are needed to our system now—elective surgery funding and getting nurses back into our hospitals and aged care facilities—and planning for the long term.

I am very pleased that, in stark contrast to the previous government’s anti-reform approach, the appointment of the Health and Hospitals Reform Commission was welcomed by the Leader of the Opposition. I am very pleased that he was able to support that initiative. I am concerned, however, that at the same time the Leader of the Opposition has called for a rural doctor to be added to the commission. We of course are very concerned about the health needs of the rural community, but I trust that the Leader of the Opposition is not letting his past medical background blur his vision as a leader. One of the appointees to the commission is a rural area health nurse. I trust that the Leader of the Opposition is not suggesting that a rural area health nurse would not know anything about rural health. I know there are a lot of issues on the other side between the National Party and the Liberal Party, and I know that the members of the National Party understand how important rural nurses are. I hope that this is not an attack on the very experienced person who has been appointed, Sabina Knight. She is an experienced nurse and a teacher, based in Alice Springs. I would hope that the Leader of the Opposition will clarify that he does not think that a rural area health nurse is not able to represent the views of rural communities.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance and on indulgence. I have been asked to clarify. There should be the chief nurse and a rural doctor, and the agreement should be done after the commission reports.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. There was no point of order, but he has made his point.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition is so determined to have a say on who we put on our health reform commission, when his government was refusing to be involved in any sort of health reform for 11 years. Now he wants a say on who the people should be. I actually do not think the Leader of the Opposition has any idea of what is going on anymore—he is confused about whether he supports it or whether he does not. To deliver on these significant changes to our health system requires leadership. It requires vision. That is leadership and vision that have been provided by this government, and it is going to deliver long-term reforms for a modern health system for a modern Australia.