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

I thank Senator Carol Brown for her question. The Gillard government has struck an historic deal with all states and territories that will significantly reform the health system in Australia. This historic agreement will deliver the funding public hospitals need with unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability, less waste and significantly less waiting for patients. Most importantly though, it is a health reform deal that will deliver for patients. It is a deal that will mean 1,300 beds. This deal will result in $19.8 billion in extra funding. We will share in the growth in services in equal partnership with full accountability of where every dollar of public hospital funding is going. To deliver value for money hospitals will be paid for the services that they actually perform. There will also be national standards for emergency departments and elective surgery.

Further, to improve transparency performance will be publicly reported on the MyHospitals website. There will also be more local governance of health services through the establishment of local hospital networks and Medicare Locals. The extra Commonwealth funding will mean our hospitals will be able to take on millions of extra services that would never have been possible before, including, to give you context, 2.9 million extra cases in our emergency departments, 2 million additional in-patient services such as major surgery and 19 million more out-patient consultations. These are some of the millions more services that will be delivered. Australia needs a health system that is built on a firm funding basis. (Time expired)