Reporter: Up until a few months ago, [Victorian premier] Daniel Andrews was asking for the 50-50 funding for hospitals to be reinstated. Is that completely off the table or is there an opportunity for you to bring it back?
Albanese: The point is if you have the existing system with a change in the relative payments, that doesn’t change the system. That doesn’t change that. And what we’re determined to do, whilst I’m sure that every state — I’ll make this prediction — every state Premier and Chief Minister, if I said to them we’re going to provide 50-50, they’d say that’s great, but 60-40 would be better from the Commonwealth and 70-30 would be better still. That’s the nature of it.
But what we’re discussing here — and that’s perfectly understandable — what we’re discussing here and what the Premiers have done is come up with practical outcomes of reform that makes a difference, that recognises that there is a finite funds from all levels of government are under pressure. How do we make sure that every dollar of value comes from taxpayers expenditure? If we just put additional money into public hospitals without doing anything about primary healthcare, and, guess what? That would not be making a difference. What we’re determined to do is to reform in a practical way.
Source: abc.net.au
