Opposition response to Commonwealth funding offer misguided

The Opposition had failed to understand the crucial importance of gaining Commonwealth recognition for the much higher level of public patients being treated in public hospitals in Western Australia compared with other States, Health Minister Keith Wilson said today.

"Mr Minson seems not to have grasped the fact that WA has achieved a major breakthrough in the Medicare negotiations with the Commonwealth, which will mean a minimum additional $50 million in extra funding each year during the operation of the new Medicare agreement," Mr Wilson said.

"People should compare this with the Federal Liberal proposal to cut funding to State public hospitals by $130 million a year and reduce it to a second-rate system."

Mr Wilson said the $4.5 million released by the Federal Government for WA's comprehensive waiting list reduction program was only incidental to the Medicare agreement.

The funds would have some limited impact on waiting lists in the short term and so were welcome.  However, WA's main efforts had always been directed at making the Commonwealth recognise the high level of public patients treated in its public hospitals and so gain an adequate level of Commonwealth funding.

Mr Wilson said he had at no stage played down the crucially important role of private health insurance in the overall hospital system, and this role would be recognised in the new agreement.

"While significant progress had been made with the negotiations, any formalising of the Medicare agreement is still some time off," he said.

"However, surely even Mr Minson must recognise it is much better for WA to secure this significant increase in Commonwealth funding ahead of any new Federal Liberal government threat to cut back on our State's rightful share of public hospital funding.

"Mr Minson should know that the Federal Minister has required complementary State legislation to be enacted, and this will provide full opportunity to debate the issues in Parliament."