Roxon gears up for hospitals stoush
Posted
Details under wraps: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon (AAP : Dean Lewins)
Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the Federal Government will hold off on announcing all the details of its health overhaul until it is convinced the states can manage a new funding system.
Under the scheme, the Commonwealth would provide 60 per cent of health funding.
But state leaders and health ministers are complaining they do not have enough information about how additional health areas like emergency rooms, waiting lists and aged care will be funded.
South Australia's Mike Rann is the only premier who says he wholeheartedly supports the proposal.
Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews says he cannot make a proper assessment of the proposed health changes without more detail.
Mr Andrews says it is very difficult to work out what to do without extra information.
"There are many unanswered questions, like what's the efficient price going to be, who will plan our services, will we have local plans, will we have state plans, will we have national plans?" he said.
"How would I, for instance, negotiate a wage deal with 100 per cent of nurses and 100 per cent of doctors if I only control 40 per cent of the funding?"
Ms Roxon says information will be sent to the states before next month's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.
"We are continuing to have discussions - each of them have got different questions and different queries," she said.
"We want to understand from the states and territories whether they are up for this type of reform before we are keen to make announcements about additional investments, if we can't be confident the way that that money is going to be spent."
A Nielsen poll in Fairfax newspapers this morning shows 75 per cent of respondents approve of the Federal Government's moves on health.
But Ms Roxon says selling the plan will not be easy.
"Polls will come and go but I think what you see reflected is that the public is tired of the blame game, of the cost shifting, of not knowing who should be funding what in our health services," she said.
"Of course there'll be challenges along the way of explaining components of the plan to the public, of reassuring people what will work better, of negotiating with the states and territories in the next month leading up to COAG.
"All of that is going to be an inevitably difficult process but it's worth it, it's worth it if we can actually improve health systems for the future."
Ms Roxon would not discuss claims in a Financial Review report that the health reforms were decided by a "kitchen cabinet" that took charge during the financial crisis, rather than going to the full Cabinet for discussion.
"I am very confident that a good, detailed process has been undertaken," she said. "It is a very complex reform."
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