Victorian patients will be waiting longer for vital care as Malcolm Turnbull has taken an axe to Victoria’s hospitals with tonight’s Federal Budget locking in their plans to short-change Victorian hospitals by $2.1 billion.
Instead of properly funding Victorian hospitals, Malcolm Turnbull has chosen to deliver big tax cuts to big business, at the expense of patients, doctors and health workers.
The Federal Budget confirms Malcolm Turnbull’s proposed Heads of Agreement for the National Health Reform Agreement 2020/21 to 2024/25 – which caps growth for hospitals at 6.5 per cent and fails to increase the Commonwealth contribution rate to 50 per cent.
This means $2.1 billion less for Victorian hospitals over the five years, which is the equivalent of:
- 6,954 fewer doctors,
- 16,586 fewer nurses, or
- 333,990 fewer elective surgeries
This will hit our hospitals hard, and will leave Victorians waiting longer for vital healthcare.
This is on top of the $104 million that Victoria is already owed by the Federal Liberal Government – but that Malcolm Turnbull is refusing to pay – despite independent advice confirming Victoria is entitled to the funding.
The Federal Budget also fails to make any significant funding investments into health infrastructure projects for Victoria. Out of Victoria’s massive investment into health and ambulance projects over the last four years, the Commonwealth has funded a negligible 0.3 per cent.
In addition, they continue to snub Victoria’s superior proposal to build the first National Proton Beam Therapy Centre in our world-leading comprehensive cancer centre. This is despite Victoria growing faster than any other state and experiencing record demand in our health system.
This is proof that you can’t trust the Liberals when it comes to healthcare – all they do is cut. And to make matters worse, Matthew Guy refuses to stand up against his mate Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to Victorian hospitals.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“Malcom Turnbull has put big business before Victorian hospitals and patients. Together, Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott have slashed billions of dollars from Victoria’s hospitals.”
“These savage cuts will see waiting lists blow out – it will hurt patients, our doctors, nurses and health workers. It’s not good enough.”
“While we’re making record investments into our hospitals – Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals continue to cut from health, cut from hospitals, cut from Victorian patients.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020