Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, Tasmanians are routinely waiting years to see a specialist and literally dying while waiting for surgery. Congestion at the Royal Hobart Hospital is now so bad that people sleep on the floor of the emergency department waiting area. Inpatients are held for up to five days in the ED until a bed can be found in a ward, including mental health wards. There's even a proposal for patients to be accommodated in alcoves and storerooms. Prime Minister, do you think this is okay, and will you reach out to the uninterested Tasmanian government and help it remedy a public health system beyond its competency to run effectively?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't think it's okay, but I also believe that the Tasmanian government, led by Premier Will Hodgman, is exactly the right government to deal with the problems that you've been highlighting. The Minister for Health has written to the Tasmanian government seeking an update on the issues that you've raised today. I saw that report on the front page of The Mercury today also. But the member would also be aware that the Commonwealth does provide significant funding support to hospitals, public hospitals in particular; not just in Tasmania but all around the country.

When we look at what has been done in terms of Tasmanian and Commonwealth public funding, when we came to office the Commonwealth was investing $294 million in hospitals in Tasmania. That has increased by 42.5 per cent under our government to $419 million this year. And we were pleased that the Hodgman government was one of the first to sign on to the new hospitals agreement which has been negotiated by the Minister for Health, which is delivering record Commonwealth government funding to Tasmanian hospitals out to 2024-25. In the five years from 2020, under the new agreement, Tasmania's public hospitals will receive an additional $373.6 million, growing at 18.4 per cent over that period.

In addition to that, you'll be aware of the $730 million to the Tasmanian government to secure the long-term future of the Mersey Community Hospital in Latrobe for a decade. You'll also be aware that the funding means more services, more doctors and more nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital, in particular. This funding is delivering significant growth in the number of elective surgeries being performed, from 6,740 when our government first came to office, to 7,755 in 2016-17, on the figures we have available. In terms of mental health support for Tasmania, the Commonwealth, through Primary Health Tasmania, has invested $34.58 million to commission mental health and suicide prevention services.

We are delivering record funding to hospitals and health services around this country, and we will continue to do that. We will ensure that the support is there for our state governments, who have carriage of delivering those services across all the states. The reason we're going to be able to do that and the reason why Tasmanians can count on that is that we are running a strong economy, which means we can generate the revenue not from higher taxes but from a stronger economy, to deliver what Tasmanians need.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Denison had risen on a point of order. I'm sorry you didn't catch my eye earlier; I apologise for that.

Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: the question goes to much more than just financial funding for the states; it also goes to what other assistance the federal government might be able to give Tasmania.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Denison. The Prime Minister has indicated to me he's concluded his answer.