Health

ALP

Summary

The Coalition are advocates of the Private Health Insurance scheme that provides a 30% rebate for
almost half of Australia’s population who maintain private health insurance, and within which the
taxpayer has invested substantially in the past. By supporting the private system the public health
system will be able to deliver better quality health care services due to less pressure being applied
upon it. The Coalition will invest $27m in the public health system by increasing human resources
and incentives to relocate and practice in regional and rural areas. Mental health will be heavily
invested in within the proven success of the Headspace program; brainchild of Prof Patrick McGorry.

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The Coalition recognise the disparity in health service delivery in rural Australia to that enjoyed in
metropolitan areas, and see a shortage of human resources as being the root cause. Accordingly,
they will dedicate $27m and double the number of rural scholarships that provide incentives for
medical staff to relocate away from the city. They will increase university places for rural nurses and
fund 100 more places, while also paying an annual $10 000 bonus to nurses practicing in remote
areas. Additionally, 20 scholarships will be offered to rural dentists. They will also introduce local
participation and regulation into our hospitals, with local hospital boards that are populated by local
experts

The Coalition will spend $1.5b on mental health. They will provide 800 additional acute and sub-
acute care mental health beds. They will provide 20 new psychosis intervention centres and another
60 youth mental health centres under Professor Patrick McGorry’s successful Headspace program.
The Coalition will squarely address the issue of homelessness, as in their view it forms an intrinsic
part of mental illness.

The Coalition intend on protecting the private health system and investing in and improving the
public health system. They will not support means testing of the private health insurance scheme. In
this fashion, the strain will be taken off the public health system and reduce waiting times. An
improvement to the Australian health system is only possible if we support private health. Having
introduced the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate in 2000 when in government, they intend to
protect it at all costs. When introduced in 2000, the number of Australians with private health
insurance escalated almost immediately from 6 million to almost 9 million. Today, almost 10 million
Australians have private health insurance. Additionally, the Coalition provided almost $2b of extra
funding to the private health insurance scheme. .