THE TRANSIENT LIE
Abbott said there was also time to talk through changes in federal-state responsibilities and revenue raising. “We're not talking about next week or next month or even next year. We're talking about changes in three years' time. [Prime Minister Tony Abbott quoted in The Guardian on 18 May 2014]
THE FACTS
But Abbott now agrees the national partnership agreement on public hospitals, which begins on 1 July, has been cut. Budget documents say it has been cut by $1.8bn over the next four years….
the budget document is clear that money has been cut by this government, stating: “The government will save $1.8bn over four years from 2014-15 by ceasing the funding guarantees under the national health reform agreement 2011 and revising commonwealth hospital funding arrangements from July 2017.”
The decision cuts $217m from hospitals in 2014-15, $260m in 2015-16 and $133m in 2016-17 before the big cuts begin in 2017-18, when the commonwealth ceases its contribution to the growth in hospital costs due to the ageing population and higher treatment costs. From that time commonwealth spending increases only in line with inflation and population growth.
[The Guardian 19 May 2014]
NSW Premier Mike Baird; said NSW stood to lose more than $1.2 billion from the health budget through scaled-back national partnership arrangements to fund hospital services. About 300 hospital beds would need to close in July unless the federal funding cuts could be absorbed elsewhere in the state budget. [The Sydney Morning Herald 19 May 2014]
No comments:
Post a Comment