Page 442 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 1993
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HEALTH FUNDING
Discussion of Matter of Pub
lic Importance
MADAM SPEAKER: I have received letters from Mrs Carnell, Mr Cornwell, Mr De Domenico, Ms Ellis, Mr Humphries, Mr Kaine, Mr Lamont and Mr Westende, proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, I have determined that the matter proposed by Mr Westende be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
The continuing failure of the ACT Labor Government to confront the funding problems in health.
MR WESTENDE (3.08): Madam Speaker, I am sure that, when all those present and associated with the Assembly saw the MPI on the notice paper, they thought, "Not health again". The Opposition will continue to debate health again and again, until this Government and this Health Minister admit to the parlous state of the health finances in the ACT. We will continue to raise this very important matter until this Government lifts its game and makes the hard decisions required to overcome the ongoing problem.
The problems in health funding are not confined to the ACT. The Federal Labor Government has publicly admitted that the health system in Australia is badly underfunded. Their solution is to increase the Medicare levy to 1.4 per cent on 30 June.
Mr Moore: I raise a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I wonder about relevance. The topic is "The continuing failure of the ACT Labor Government to confront the funding problems in health". So we should be talking about what happens here in the ACT rather than a Federal issue.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I really have not had an opportunity to hear Mr Westende develop the argument. He may well be coming back to the ACT, Mr Moore, so I prefer not to uphold your point of order at this point.
MR WESTENDE: The Western Australian Labor member George Gear said that the levy would have to be at least 2.5 per cent even to come close to providing sufficient capital to address the problems. Whatever affects the nation also affects the ACT. The simple fact is that the public health system in Australia cannot cope with demands placed upon it without the support of a strong private hospital sector. This is the point. It is impossible to have a strong private health sector without a significant number of the population maintaining private health insurance. Over the last three years ACT Health has experienced revenue shortfalls of more than $4m because fewer Canberrans are taking out private insurance, and this in a city with the highest average weekly wages in the country. It is well recognised that this trend will continue and probably escalate unless the Federal Government provides some incentives to take out private insurance.
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