Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today on the Health Care (Appropriation) Amendment Bill 2008. This bill will honour the government’s commitment to provide $1 billion to the states to relieve pressure on our public hospitals. This Labor government is committed to turning around the many years of neglect by the former Howard government. That is why we are making a considerable contribution to our state and territory public hospitals. These funds include $500 million to be paid before the end of the financial year. This is a new payment and is intended to assist our nation’s public hospitals. The $500 million is in addition to the increase of $1 billion due to the indexation on the previous Commonwealth allocation for 2007-08. These funds will provide services to thousands, if not millions, of Australians who rely on our nation’s public health system.

Every Australian is entitled to use a public hospital free of charge if they choose. That is an integral part of a universal health system and something that we on this side of the House are very proud of. As a government, we have recognised the need for preventative health measures in addition to the need for funds to reach our hospitals. This government recognises the urgent need to invest in primary and preventative care in order to keep people well and out of hospital. The GP superclinics, costing $275.2 million, will bring health professionals together in one place, providing a one-stop shop for many health services and much greater convenience for patients, particularly those with complex and chronic diseases.

This bill will ensure that the states and territories continue to receive funding while the Australian healthcare agreements are being negotiated. Funds to the states will assist in providing services to tackle some of the greatest health challenges of our time, including obesity. Obesity affects thousands of Australians and its incidence is on the increase. I know that we saw some reports this week where particular sections of the community were dissected, but all the figures show that it is an upward trend. It is essential that we make obesity a national health priority area to help drive collaborative efforts aimed at tackling obesity at national, local, state and territory levels and to ensure that obesity receives the attention it deserves as a matter of urgency.

This government is dedicated to establishing measures for the long-term health of Australians. This bill will feed more money into the health system, which will aid in our preventative health strategies. The Australian government in April announced the establishment of the Preventative Health Taskforce. This task force, made up of health experts from around Australia, will develop strategies to tackle the health challenges caused by tobacco, alcohol and obesity and develop the National Preventative Health Strategy by June 2009. The government also announced that it will take immediate action to ensure preventative health measures become a key part of health funding agreements between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.

New funding takes up the fight against alcohol abuse, with the government committing $53.6 million to tackle binge drinking. Another $15 million is committed to help reduce smoking. There have been reports showing the annual social costs of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs have grown to $56.1 billion. I am quite proud to say that this June will mark four years that I have been tobacco free. I would urge all other members of this House—the ones that do participate in the intake of nicotine—to think seriously about giving up tobacco. I am sure, Mr Deputy Speaker Washer, you agree with me on that and I am sure most people in this House would agree. The figures on smoking are alarming, with 5.4 million people dying a year due to related illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. This figure is set to rise as the number of smokers, especially in developing countries, increases. According to the World Health Organisation:

Tobacco kills up to half of those who use it. Yet tobacco use is common throughout the world due to low prices, aggressive and widespread marketing, lack of awareness  about its dangers, and inconsistent public policies against its use.

The 2008-09 budget delivers on the government’s election commitments to reform the nation’s health and hospital system on behalf of all Australians, providing better health care for all Australians. Health reform is both a vital social priority and an urgent economic priority. Keeping people healthy makes sound economic sense: healthy, active people participate in the workforce, engage in the community, contribute to the national economy and ease the burden on the system. That is why there have been measurers already put in place to begin to look at preventative measures to keep people healthier longer.

First and foremost, measures in this budget underscore the government’s commitment to ending the blame game between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. This is central to our reforms. No more buck passing; no more cost shifting. The government will provide greater and more affordable access to dental health for working families, teenagers, older Australians and people most in need. This government will invest a total of $780.7 million over five years, helping to slash the public dental waiting lists and provide preventative dental check-ups for teenagers. The budget contains funding for the government’s National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, which began its work early in February. The commission will develop a long-term plan for tackling current and future challenges in the health system. We will build a health workforce for the future by encouraging up to 8,750 qualified nurses to return to the workforce and creating new Commonwealth supported places in nursing in the second semester of 2008, with a further 1,170 places in 2009. In undertaking a long-overdue reform of the health and hospital system, the government has embarked on an important journey with the aim of delivering the modern health system that Australia deserves. I commend this bill to the House.

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