Ms LAWRIE - 2003-08-14
Would you please provide information to the House about the Australian Health Summit that you will attend in Canberra next week?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her very important question. This Sunday, I am joining an alliance of about 250 key health and consumer groups at the Australian Health Care Agreement summit. The summit is being chaired by the esteemed clinician, Professor John Dwyer, who is the National Public Hospitals Commission Task Force Chairman. It will involve 24 key health and community service organisations who are lobbying Health ministers around Australia about advancing reforms to Australia’s health system.
The summit will be looking at the things which we have been looking at as health ministers over the past 18 months, particularly what sort of national health system do Australians want, need and support, and can we afford it? This is very closely linked with the Australian Health Care Agreement which we are currently negotiating with the Australian government. One of the things which has been really concerning us is that the federal government has, in fact, said to all states and territories that they are not really willing to negotiate: ‘This is the offer, you take it. If you do not take it, there are going to be huge penalties for the Territory and other states’.
In the media in Victoria today, there was a suggestion that the Victorian government had signed the agreement. I advise the House that this is entirely untrue. We have contacted the minister for Health in Victoria and she has put out various statements today indicating that this is completely untrue. I can assure members of this House that this government, together with all other Australian governments of every state and territory, are committed to continue to attempt to negotiate a better deal - in this case for all Territorians.
I understand that the Council of Australian Governments, which is meeting on 29 August and which the Chief Minister will be attending, will also be calling on the Prime Minister to look at this whole situation. What we are being offered in the Northern Territory is not an acceptable deal; it is one which will mean a backward step for all Territorians. This particular offer means $16m less for Territorians than if we had been looking at the current agreement.
I hope all members in this Chamber will be supporting me in going to this summit, and attempting to get a better deal for all Territorians in our health care agreement.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her very important question. This Sunday, I am joining an alliance of about 250 key health and consumer groups at the Australian Health Care Agreement summit. The summit is being chaired by the esteemed clinician, Professor John Dwyer, who is the National Public Hospitals Commission Task Force Chairman. It will involve 24 key health and community service organisations who are lobbying Health ministers around Australia about advancing reforms to Australia’s health system.
The summit will be looking at the things which we have been looking at as health ministers over the past 18 months, particularly what sort of national health system do Australians want, need and support, and can we afford it? This is very closely linked with the Australian Health Care Agreement which we are currently negotiating with the Australian government. One of the things which has been really concerning us is that the federal government has, in fact, said to all states and territories that they are not really willing to negotiate: ‘This is the offer, you take it. If you do not take it, there are going to be huge penalties for the Territory and other states’.
In the media in Victoria today, there was a suggestion that the Victorian government had signed the agreement. I advise the House that this is entirely untrue. We have contacted the minister for Health in Victoria and she has put out various statements today indicating that this is completely untrue. I can assure members of this House that this government, together with all other Australian governments of every state and territory, are committed to continue to attempt to negotiate a better deal - in this case for all Territorians.
I understand that the Council of Australian Governments, which is meeting on 29 August and which the Chief Minister will be attending, will also be calling on the Prime Minister to look at this whole situation. What we are being offered in the Northern Territory is not an acceptable deal; it is one which will mean a backward step for all Territorians. This particular offer means $16m less for Territorians than if we had been looking at the current agreement.
I hope all members in this Chamber will be supporting me in going to this summit, and attempting to get a better deal for all Territorians in our health care agreement.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016