2025-02-21
Lines attributable to Shane Rattenbury, Leader of the ACT Greens:
“This morning, the Greens revealed that the health Budget shortfall in the ACT is in fact $332 million, $105 million more than the $227 million shortfall the Labor Government admitted to just weeks ago.
“They gambled on getting extra money from the Federal Government, and lost. This is no way to manage a health system.
“It is particularly frustrating to see that instead of fronting up to the community about this shortfall, it took critical questioning from Greens to get a proper account of the financial situation in our health system.
“Now, more than ever, we need both Labor parties in the ACT and Federal Governments to take health funding seriously.
“They really need to step up and start investing much more comprehensively in preventative health services, to keep people healthy, reduce the need for emergency care and be more cost effective.”
Lines attributable to Isabel Mudford, Greens Candidate for Canberra:
“This election is a chance to make real change to the role the federal government plays in providing quality, free and universal healthcare to Canberrans.
“The Greens have promised to ditch the artificial cap on health spending growth that the Commonwealth will provide to the states and territories.
“It’s that funding cap that’s left the ACT in the lurch by an extra $105 million, as Shane Rattenbury uncovered today.
“The Australian Greens will also lift the Federal Government’s contribution to healthcare funding from 40% to 50% to better support states and territories to deliver great health services.”
Background:
Under the National Health Reform Agreement, the Federal Government is only responsible for covering 6.5% of healthcare cost increases.
This amount was insufficient to compensate for the growth in demand for health services in the ACT over the current financial year.
Earlier this year the Greens made a federal election commitment to increase public health funding and ditch the government's 6.5% cap on funding.
Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury asked a series of questions of Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith at Annual Reports hearings today, which confirmed the further $105m in un-funded health spending.