Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

The Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

The detail of the National Health and Hospitals Network Agreement was the subject of ongoing consultation between the Commonwealth and the States during late 2010 and early 2011. The new features of the new agreement were developed in the weeks prior to the 13 February COAG meeting. Treasury, along with the Department of Health and Ageing and the Department of Finance and Deregulation, supported the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) in preparing the Heads of Agreement on National Health Reform and supported the negotiations that led to states’ agreement. All states and territories (including Western Australia) have signed the Heads of Agreement.

Treasury provided advice to Government throughout the process in the lead up to the Heads of Agreement being signed as they would on any area of policy under consideration by Government.

The National Health Reform Agreement has now been signed by all states and territories as announced on 2 August 2011. The new agreement will provide better access to services, improved local accountability and transparency, greater responsiveness to local communities and a stronger financial basis for the health system into the future.

Additional funding under the new agreement will meet the costs of around 2.0 million more admitted patient episodes of care, 2.9 million more services in emergency departments, and 19 million more outpatient consultations based on current patterns of hospital expenditure, than the Commonwealth would have funded under the previous health care agreement.