Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to make some comments in relation to what has been another debacle by this government in the health space. As Senator Ryan has justly said, they were forced to back down in relation to Victoria. Then they had to take out full-page advertisements in the Herald Sun and the Age to try to spin their way out of another health debacle. It was more expensive political spin that could not hide the fact that this government promised a certain amount of funding, cut that funding mid-year while trying to cobble together their surplus and now has to restore that funding for one state.

And what were the consequences of this bungle? As Senator Ryan correctly said, services had to be cut. Victorian patients, their families and hospital staff had to endure enormous stress and uncertainty because of these cuts. But what about New South Wales, Queensland and elsewhere? In particular, in the palliative health space the government has failed to provide any certainty for palliative-care patients, with the imminent cessation of funding for a whole range of services which were due in June 2012. Palliative patients around the country are set to miss out on services as a consequence of this latest health debacle. There was federal funding for palliative care, including community palliative care. The Senate did an inquiry last year into palliative care and, given the recommendations of that Senate inquiry, to now have this sort of consequence in this space is really quite sad. Federal funding for palliative care, including community palliative care under the National Partnership Agreement on Hospital and Health Workforce Reform will cease on 30 June this year. This is a double blow for the palliative-care patients and their staff following the $1.6 billion which was withdrawn from public hospital services, including these notorious mid-year cuts that we have just spoken about. Palliative Care Australia understandably are very concerned about these hospital cuts. They are 'deeply concerned that the use of retrospective adjustment to funding levels announced through the national health reform agreement is creating immediate funding crises'.

I also want to use this opportunity to correct the record yet again. Here is Senator Polley touting misleading, wrong information from those opposite, who continue to parrot this misrepresentation about the time when Tony Abbott was the Minister for Health and Ageing. Let me once again say for the record that this claim that funding for public hospitals decreased by $1 billion under the coalition government is false, misleading, wrong—a lie. Australian government funding for health, including public hospitals, increased significantly under the coalition government. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian government expenditure on public hospitals increased every year from approximately $5.2 billion in 1995-96 to over $12 billion in 2007-08. Annual spending on health and aged care by the Australian government more than doubled from $19.5 billion in 1995-96 to $51.8 billion in 2007-08.

Australian government funding to the states under the Australian healthcare agreements was $42 billion between 2003 and 2008 compared to $31.7 billion between 1998 and 2003 and $23.4 billion between 1993 and 1998. The 2003 to 2008 Australian healthcare agreements provided a 17 per cent real increase in funding compared to the previous agreement. The government's claims are untrue. In 2003 the coalition government provided an extra $10 billion for public hospitals in the Australian healthcare agreements. Funding for public hospitals from 2003 was 83 per cent higher than under the previous Keating Labor government.

A change in the growth rate of the Australian healthcare agreements due to higher private health insurance coverage and other demographic changes was reflected in the forward estimates in 2003. However, public hospital expenditure continued to increase by 17 per cent in real terms in the 2003 to 2008 Australian healthcare agreements, contrary to the false, misleading, wrong assertions that those opposite continue to make in this place. It is a lie what you keep saying in relation to the time when Tony Abbott was health minister. These are the facts that are on the public record. They are figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. They have been provided to me in estimates by your government. So do not come in here and continually—