Hospital pass: Multi-billion dollar promise to boost rail links fails to impress
The Palaszczuk Government is ramping up pressure for health funding reform while expressingĀ doubt about $3.9 billon of promised transport investment in the federal budget.
State Health Minister Yvette DāAth on Monday urged the Morrison government to cover half of the stateās public health care bill ahead of Tuesday nightās budget.
She said the state currently covered 55 per cent of the bill but the Commonwealth needed to up its contribution.
āAll the states and territories, regardless of their political persuasion, have been calling on the Morrison government, demanding a fair 50-50 funding split,ā she told ABC Radio.
āWe canāt control the growth in demand because [of] failures in the primary and allied healthcare system and the Medicare system.ā
The public system has come under increasing pressure from an ageing population and shrinking numbers of private health insurance as more people turn to public hospitals.
You might like
The pandemic has added to capacity pressure with full PPE requirements for staff and Covid-19 isolation and quarantine requirements impacting the workforce.
āWe know Covid will continue to put pressure on our health system,ā Ms DāAth said.
āI donāt think the general public realise that with our paramedics and with our health workers, simply because Covid exists, everything takes longer.ā
People needing urgent care were still being seen within recommended times, the minister said.
Stay informed, daily
However, patients who didnāt have acute or life-threatening conditions were waiting longer than they used to.
āWe want people not having to wait for hours,ā DāAth said said.
The state is also hoping for a major spend on the southeastās public transport infrastructure to lay the groundwork for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Major rail projects for the Sunshine and Gold Coasts are set to get a boost with a $3.9 billion road and rail upgrade in the pipeline.
The Beerwah to Maroochydore rail extension has been given the green light with a $1.6 billion commitment to link Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast.
A furtherĀ $1.12 billion has been earmarked for the Brisbane to the Gold Coast corridor faster rail upgrade.
However, Transport Minister Mark Bailey was sceptical of the funding boost.
He said the Morrison government had a patchy track record of delivering election promises.
āIf it actually happens ..itās a positive thing,ā Mr Bailey told ABC radio.
āWe know with the Olympics coming up, thereās going to be a whole lot of infrastructure challenges.ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
