❓ Mrs Hodson-Thomas asks about health budget funding amid Opposition claims of decline. Mr Day refutes this, highlighting increased allocations and comparing the coalition's health spending favourably to the previous Labor government's record.
AnsweredQoN 84Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Recent comments by the Opposition have implied that funding in the Health budget has been declining in real terms. Is this the case? How does the coalition’s level of support for public health compare with that provided by the previous Labor Government? Mr DAY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
Mr DAY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
[The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
[See page 674.]
Mr DAY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
I thank the member for some notice of this question. As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
As most members are aware, I announced last week that the Government has made a further substantial increased allocation of $32m to the Health budget. The Health budget this year will be $1.922b, a very substantial expenditure out of our state budget. An amount of $702m more will be spent on health services this financial year than when we came into government. This substantial increase in funding has led to a significant growth in health services being provided right around Western Australia, whether in rural areas such as the regional centres of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany, Bunbury, Broome and others, or whether in the outer parts of the metropolitan area such as Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and Swan Districts hospitals to name a few. The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
The Opposition, for its own political and creative purposes, attempted to denigrate this increase in our Health budget by pointing to a supposed real reduction in Health funding, if we exclude the effects of inflation and population. I demonstrated last week that if that technique is applied to our Health budget, contrary to what the Opposition is alleging, that is not the case. However, let me apply the Opposition’s own medicine to its years in government. Figures and a graph that I have had prepared show that for all the time the coalition Government has been in office, there was only one year in which there was a below zero real increase. However, for the last eight years that the Labor Party was in government, the increase was below the zero line for four years, and it is difficult to compare figures for the years prior to that because that is about the time Medicare was being introduced. The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
The story is really summed up by comparing the average annual real increase for the last eight years of the Labor Government’s term of office of 0.56 per cent with the 2.75 per cent average annual real increase for the eight years that the coalition Government has been in office; that is, there has been five times the real growth since we have been in government using the measure that is used by the Labor Party. That sums up the story and demonstrates clearly that this Government is expanding its health services as a high priority and that it spends nearly a quarter of its budget on providing health services. That is demonstrated even further by the recent additional increase of $32m. I ask that this graph be incorporated in Hansard . [The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
[The material in appendix A was incorporated by leave of the House.] [See page 674.]
[See page 674.]
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