Health Department officials have today confirmed the Department has been shut out of Malcolm Turnbull’s attempt to buy off the states with a pre-election bribe on hospital funding.
The Coalition ripped $57 billion from public hospital funding in its first Budget, in a move NSW Liberal Premier Mike Baird has denounced as “unsustainable”.
Now, with the election looming, Malcolm Turnbull is reported to be trying to buy off the states with $7 billion in hush money.
Responding to questions about the deal from Labor Senator Katy Gallagher, Health Department Secretary Martin Bowles has made clear his Department has been sidelined from the funding talks with the states over health.
“I have no knowledge of it whatsoever, I have not heard a figure like that anywhere.”
“This is the responsibility of first ministers”
Martin Bowles, Estimates, 3rd March 2016
In its first Budget, the Abbott/Turnbull Government cut $57 billion in public hospital funding, and another $1.8 billion from emergency departments and elective surgery.
It also abandoned the National Health Reform Agreement and the reforms included in it, such as activity-based funding and a National Efficient Price.
“National Efficient Price is a very good mechanism, but it is ultimately a policy decision of Government”.
Martin Bowles, Estimates, 3rd March 2016
The decision to ignore Health’s advice, and sideline it from the hospital funding talks, confirms Malcolm Turnbull is more interested in a political fix, than a proper long term funding arrangement for public hospitals.
Mike Baird is right, these cuts are unsustainable and cannot be fixed by a short term handout of hush money designed solely to get Malcolm Turnbull through an election campaign.