Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In September, the Prime Minister wrote to state health ministers, telling them that they needed to cut spending on public hospitals. Is he serious? States and territories are trying to get the government to keep their promise of extra hospital funding, but, instead, the PM is issuing ultimatums. Has the Prime Minister told the states which hospital departments he'd like to see cut back? Maybe emergency departments, maternity wards or intensive care. Labor and Liberal premiers across the country are urging the government to increase hospital funding to, in part, help people in need of aged and disability care. There are over 3,500 people stranded in hospital beds right now who aren't actually sick. They are just waiting on long-term care. There are 200,000 older Australians waiting on aged care, often for up to a year or more. Why? Because, rather than ensuring that every older Australian who needs help at home can get it, Labor and coalition governments have capped the number of aged-care packages.

If Nonna needs some help at home with the shower, to take her medication or to eat a proper meal, Labor says: 'Too bad. Get in the queue.' So what does she do? She ends up in the only place where she can ultimately get help, and that's in hospital. That's Labor's decision, not the states'. If the Prime Minister wants savings, he can start by ending the rationing of aged care. Give our older people the dignity that they deserve and support their need to stay at home. This is a wealthy country, and the Greens believe that means everyone should get access to the health care that they need. The Greens will continue to fight so that every older Australian gets timely access to care at the time that they need it.