❓ Question regarding health funding, specifically comparing Commonwealth and State contributions. Minister Kucera avoids directly answering the funding pledge, instead criticising the previous government's spending and highlighting aged care funding issues.
AnsweredQoN 292Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH, COMMONWEALTH AND STATE FUNDING 292. Mr BOARD to the Minister for Health: I refer the minister to federal Labor leader Kim Beazley’s assertion yesterday that the current health crisis is the fault of chronic underfunding by the federal Government. (1) Does the minister agree with the comments made by his federal Labor leader? (2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
HEALTH, COMMONWEALTH AND STATE FUNDING
I refer the minister to federal Labor leader Kim Beazley’s assertion yesterday that the current health crisis is the fault of chronic underfunding by the federal Government. (1) Does the minister agree with the comments made by his federal Labor leader? (2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(1) Does the minister agree with the comments made by his federal Labor leader? (2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
HEALTH, COMMONWEALTH AND STATE FUNDING
I refer the minister to federal Labor leader Kim Beazley’s assertion yesterday that the current health crisis is the fault of chronic underfunding by the federal Government. (1) Does the minister agree with the comments made by his federal Labor leader? (2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(1) Does the minister agree with the comments made by his federal Labor leader? (2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(2) If so, can the minister confirm that commonwealth payments to the health system in Western Australia will increase this year from $586 million to $644 million - a massive 10 per cent increase in one year? (3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(3) Will the minister today pledge to increase funding in the state budget to match that increase by the federal Government? Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
I thank the member for Murdoch for his question. (1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
(1)-(3) In answer to the last part of the question, I have already said in this House that there is a proper protocol for budgetary issues. Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: There has been a massive increase in federal funding. You have said in this House that you have been underfunded. Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch is well aware of budget protocols. Things will be announced in the budget in relation to that. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I will answer the first and second parts of the question. When the Opposition was in government, it poured heaps of money into the health system. I suspect that the episode of Yes Minister with an empty hospital was probably written about the member for Murdoch. During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
During the term of the former Government there were blow-outs in the budget process, as the member well knows. We have now reached the stage at which almost $2 billion is being put in to top-up the health budget. During the same time, the federal Government, which is so fond of telling us that it funds our public system dollar for dollar, funded $722 million. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order! Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: The member for Murdoch has asked the question and I will answer it. I give credit to the previous Government for directing the money to where it should be directed; that is, towards dealing with people’s care. There was a $1 253 million increase at the same time the federal Government put a measly $237 million into our public hospital system. We have said that we will increase that money. Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: We are talking about public health. Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I am talking about the health system. Public health is a different issue; public health is population health, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition the other day. I will move on because I am talking about figures. The reality with our public hospitals, which are under so much pressure at the moment, is that in the first budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded 41.8 per cent of our public hospital system. These figures are from the public health system. In the second budgetary period of the previous Government, the federal Government funded the public health system to the tune of 39.8 per cent. By anybody’s figures that is a drop. Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: No, it is not. Did the dollars go down? No, they did not. Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Shall I go on and tell members what happened in the last budgetary period? Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: You do not even understand the figures. The dollars went up. Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: People do not like figures that hurt. Last year the federal Government funded 38.1 per cent of our public health system. There has been a drop to 38 per cent in the balancing contribution of the federal Government. Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: You do not understand arithmetic. Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: I will move on to the main issue. This is not about funding the health system; it is about the catastrophic pressure that is being put on us by the refusal of Bishop and company to properly fund the aged care system in this State. We have 300 of our national treasures - Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Barnett: This man is not up to his job; give him a junior portfolio and let him learn the ropes. The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: Order! I am interested in hearing the answer, even if the Leader of the Opposition is not. If the answer that a member seeks is not the one that he gets, he still must listen to it. Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Three weeks ago I spent considerable time talking to Dr Wooldridge and Minister Bishop in Adelaide about the issue of aged care in this country. Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board: We are talking about hospitals. You are the Minister for Health. There has been a massive federal increase in funding. What are you going to do? Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: That shows the member for Murdoch’s ignorance of the pressure points on the health system. Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr Board interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
Mr KUCERA: Over 300 of our national treasures spend most days sitting in acute-care beds in this State because they cannot get places in proper and appropriate aged care. Instead of asking what we will do, the member for Murdoch should turn his attention to the Liberal leader of this country, who says - this is the third day I have repeated it - that I and the previous Ministers for Health in this State have been thieving money from the public hospital system. It is about time the real issues in this country were addressed.
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