‘Problem’: Ministers furious demand of PM

Health ministers across Australia have written a furious demand to Anthony Albanese, calling on him to fix the health system in Australia as it buckles under pressure.

“This is a national problem that requires a national solution,” the letter to the Prime Minister said.

In 2023, Labor agreed it would fund 45 per cent of public hospital costs by 2035 at a national cabinet meeting, but negotiations between the states and federal government stalled.

As part of the negotiation, states agreed to cover more NDIS costs, but NDIS reforms are still before the senate, which has seen the federal government pause talks on public hospital funding with the states.

Now health ministers across the country have demanded the federal government commit to a fair health funding agreement.

In their letter, the ministers pointed out that states and territories spent billions of dollars to intervene in what was fundamentally federal government responsibilities.

They called on Mr Albanese to fund 45 per cent of costs or every person who was treated in a public hospital.

They also want an increase to bulk billing incentives, more aged care providers and additional medical school places in Australia so more people could pursue a career in medicine.

“We recognise that this situation has been exacerbated by a decade of freezing Medicare rates and aged care underfunding,” the letter said.

“But there is more that can be done and needs to be done to tackle this national crisis.”

Health Minister Mark Butler said negotiations around NDIS reforms needed to catch up to public hospital funding talks before they could resume negotiations with the states and territories.

“We have been directed to pause hospital funding negotiations they will resume as soon as we get a direction, in my case from the Prime Minister,” he said.

Mr Albanese said a decision made about health funding at a national cabinet meeting last year included NDIS reforms.

He said it was his government’s objective to continue to strengthen Medicare, but they also needed to ensure that the NDIS was sustainable going forward so that people with disabilities could get the support and help that they needed.

The PM said they would come back to those negotiations through the national cabinet process.

“I’m sure that we’ll get this done,” he said.