Kerry Bartlett (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the National Health Amendment (Immunisation) Bill 2006, because this government’s record on immunisation is a particularly proud one. It is one of the coalition government’s many achievements in the area of health policy. In contrast to the relative neglect of immunisation that we had seen under Labor, this government has been involved in a substantial and significant refocusing on this important area of preventative health. We can see that in the funding committed to immunisation, which has risen from a mere $13 million a year when we came into office in 1996 to $148 million a year in 2003-04 and to $254 million last year. I acknowledge that that was partly because of two new pneumococcal vaccination programs. Under this government there was a substantial increase in funding for immunisation, reflective of a renewed focus and commitment to preventative health via vaccination and immunisation. And we can see that in the results. It is not just a matter of money; it is a matter of significant headway and results in the whole area of immunisation.

To give one illustration, in 1995, only 52 per cent of nought- to six-year-olds in Australia were immunised and only 53 per cent of children up to 12 months old were immunised. Since this government has focused attention on immunisation under the Immunise Australia Program, we have seen a dramatic increase in immunisation levels. Immunisation levels are at an all-time high for children and are at over 90 per cent for those up to 12 months old. Because of this government’s focus on lifting immunisation levels, in the past 10 years the immunisation rates for children up to 12 months of age have increased from 53 per cent to 90 per cent. As a result, we have seen a decline in the number of vaccine-preventable diseases in Australia, and I am confident we will continue to see a decline in those diseases. For example, under the National Meningococcal C Vaccination Program, we have seen a decline in the number of reported cases, from 213 cases just four years ago to 40 cases last year. That is a substantial decrease in the number of reported cases of meningococcal C. There has been an 83 per cent decrease in deaths from meningococcal C. This government’s focus on immunisation has led to a substantial reduction in vaccine-preventable diseases and its record of reversing the relative neglect and apathy that we saw during the Labor years has been significant.

As we know, this bill constitutes a minor administrative amendment. Its aim is to tidy up funding arrangements between Commonwealth and state governments to allow for the continued storage and distribution of vaccines.

While I am on my feet, I want to put this emphasis on immunisation in the broader context of the coalition government’s focus on health policy. That focus has seen a massive increase in Commonwealth government funding on health during the past 10 years. In 1995-96, the last year of the Labor government, only $20 billion a year of Australian government money was being spent on health. We have seen a massive increase in the past 10 years: the Australian government now spends $45 billion a year on health through a whole range of programs. So there has been a massive increase in spending and a massive focus on health policy by the coalition government. We can see that in so many areas. We can see, for example, the enormous boost in funding for health research, which doubled to $414 million in 1999 and was boosted again in subsequent years. Then, in this year’s budget, an extra $500 million was announced. So we are now spending four times the amount that was previously spent on health research into obtaining cures, into looking at new approaches to prevention and into achieving better health in Australia. There has been a fourfold increase on the amount being spent in 1996. So there is a substantial commitment to health research spending in this country.

There are many other areas benefiting as well as a result of this increased spending on health: the Stronger Medicare program, increased Medicare rebates in 2005 and the introduction in 2004 of the Medicare safety net. This has been a wonderful initiative which has added great security to the way in which Medicare operates to provide security and confidence for Australian individuals and families that their out-of-pocket bills will be capped and that they will eventually have to meet only 20 per cent of those because the government will come to the party to meet 80 per cent of those out-of-pocket expenses—a really substantial initiative to strengthen the operation of Medicare, without a doubt the most substantial initiative since Medicare was introduced.

Other areas include measures to increase aspects of health workforce shortage. For instance, there is the practice nurses initiative, which in my electorate in the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains is really taking pressure off the shortage of GPs by allowing them to better use their resources. The practice nurses initiative, along with other initiatives to address doctor shortages, is a wonderful initiative by this government.

There is the initiative to encourage the take-up of private health insurance: the 30 per cent rebate on private health insurance, along with those extra rebates for older Australians, to give Australians who want private health insurance that choice in order to give them the peace of mind that that option brings and also to take the pressure off the public hospital system. There are a number of other important initiatives, and I could go on all day here: the focus on mental health, with the $1.7 billion announced in the 2006-07 budget; increased funding for other priority areas, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease; and the government’s Tough on Drugs policy, which has really focused on education and prevention to reduce the devastating impact of the abuse of both legal and illicit drugs. This is a very significant policy which contrasts markedly with the wishy-washy, weak and can I say dangerous approach of Labor’s policy on this.

In short, this immunisation program—in itself a very positive program—is to be seen in the context of this government’s very substantial progress in policy initiative areas, new measures and initiatives, backed up with massive increases in funding, as I said, from $20 billion to $45 billion a year, just over the life of this government. This government’s immunisation program is one of which we can be very proud. The program is working. It has been backed up by extra funding. The results are proof that the program is working. I strongly support this government’s immunisation program and the legislation, including this amendment, that assists the delivery of this program.

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