Hospitals

Senator DI NATALE
I move:
That the Senate—
(a) notes that the ongoing uncertainty around hospital funding continues to threaten Australia's health system, putting patients at risk; and
(b) calls on the Government to restore fair and equitable funding for hospitals by reinstating the hospital funding model developed by former Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, in which the Commonwealth and states share the costs of delivering hospital services, and abolished by then Prime Minister, Mr Abbott, in the 2014 Budget.

Senator RYAN
( I seek leave to make a short statement.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT
Leave is granted for one minute.

Senator RYAN
I thank the chamber. States will be significantly better off by approximately $2.9 billion over the three years of the health-funding agreement reached at COAG covering 2017-18 to 2019-20. The agreement retains activity based funding as the main financing mechanism, including the use of the national efficient price, and caps national growth in Commonwealth funding at 6.5 per cent a year. Under a coalition government, spending on health increases year on year over the forward estimates. Only the Turnbull government has a real and fair hospital-funding policy on the table which has been agreed to by all states and territories. Our policy is responsible and affordable and will deliver certainty for states and territories over the forward estimates.
Question agreed to.