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

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. The latest Report on government services highlights again that Tasmania's health system is one of the worst in the country. Indeed, 42 per cent of patients presenting to Tasmanian emergency departments wait longer than recommended times, and the median wait for elective surgery is 65 days—and up to 588 days for some patients. The impact of all this, obviously, is devastating, and just hoping that the situation will improve is madness. Clearly, a solution is needed that includes more funding and expert advice. Minister, as it's clear that the Tasmanian government is incapable of fixing the mess, will you intervene and help sort it out?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Clark for his question. The Australian government has contributed to a significant increase and expansion in Tasmania's hospital capacity and funding. We've gone from approximately $291 million of funding in the year prior to coming to government to $511 million, or a 75 per cent increase in the previous full year. That will increase, however, significantly over the course of the current five-year hospitals agreement, which will see an approximate $615 million increase against the last agreement over this five-year period.

What we see is that we will have gone from $291 million of Commonwealth funding to $511 million of Commonwealth funding, and that will continue to increase to what is likely to be almost $600 million of funding—a doubling of funding and beyond in our time and on our watch. That's adding significant capacity and capability to the Tasmanian hospital system.

In addition to that, during the course of COVID—the member is correct—right around the country, where there have been pauses in elective surgery, that has had an impact on people. We have specifically supported the Tasmanian hospital system with $145 million of COVID funding in addition to that, which has been put in place through the National Health Reform Agreement and through the COVID national partnership with the states and territories. That $145 million is specifically designed to address precisely the issue that the member has raised. In addition to that, under this Prime Minister, we also allocated $20 million expressly and exclusively focused towards a catch-up in elective surgery in Tasmania. That's in place and that's providing 6,000 surgeries, which are able to help people with all manner of conditions achieve the outcomes they so significantly need to assist themselves.

Tasmania itself has also been contributing. I would note the vaccination rate in Tasmania is above 99 per cent for first doses and 96.8 per cent for second doses. Each is about three per cent ahead of the already high national average, which is world leading. Tasmania has added 870 staff to its health system since July 2020, 152 new beds and 367 ventilators. I did hear recently that 'we haven't had enough ventilators in Australia'. That statement was false. That statement was in relation to a country which, at peak ventilation capacity for COVID, required 206 machines. We have 7½ thousand ventilators in Australia. The Leader of the Opposition made that statement, and it was plainly false. (Time expired)