Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

It is a shame that the opposition do not want to hear the good news. The Rudd government is delivering $64.4 billion to boost health and hospital funding and drive reform, including through a historic new national healthcare agreement—one that the opposition have not been able to do. This is an increase of more than $20 billion, or 50 per cent, over the funding provided by the Howard government in the last agreement.

In 2003, $1 billion was cut from the public hospital system by the Howard government. After 12 years of neglect, we are giving hospitals money to tackle key pressure points and improve the health system for all Australians. The $64.4 billion investment consists of an extra $4.8 billion for public hospitals; $1.1 billion to train more doctors, nurses and other health professionals; $750 million to take the pressure off emergency departments and $500 million in measures to provide additional subacute care; $450 million in the Preventative Health National Partnership and $800 million in the Indigenous Health National Partnership.

The additional $4.8 billion for public hospitals comprises an increase to base funding of $500 million and an annual indexation rate of 7.3 per cent into the future. This growth rate will help the Commonwealth funding contribution on a sustainable long-term basis, unlike the miserly indexation of 5.3 per cent provided under the last agreement by those opposite. Looking at how the additional funding will relate to people on the ground in health, it will be 350,000 additional emergency department presentations— (Time expired)