COAG: PM rejects Victoria, South Australia calls for more public hospital funding

A NATIONAL summit on the scourge of cyber-bullying will be held later this year but a standoff over between state and federal governments looks set to continue after a COAG meeting today.

A NATIONAL summit on the scourge of cyber-bullying looks set to be held by Australia’s state and federal leaders later this year.

But a standoff over public hospital funding between the state and Commonwealth governments will continue after only New South Wales and Western Australia signed up to a new deal on federal funding at today’s Council of Australian Governments in Canberra.

State and federal leaders all agreed further action needed to be taken on cyber-bullying after today’s COAG, with Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealing a national summit on the issue was likely to be held later this year.

It comes after the death of Amy “Dolly” Everrett, who took her own life after being bullied online.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attempted to secure support for the federal government’s new five-year deal which would add $31 billion to hospital funding from 2021 to 2025.

This morning he ruled out boosting the government’s current offer but South Australia, Queensland and Victoria have yet to sign up.

Premier Palaszczuk indicated her state would sign up if the federal government stumped up the more than $170 million the state was owed in back pay on public hospital funding.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also indicated his state would sign up if further discussions on how federal money was allocated took place, particularly on aged care and chronic disease needs.

But South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill refused to budge unless the federal government agreed to fund public hospitals at a rate of 50 per cent.

Under the current offer, Canberra will continue to pay 45 per cent of hospital funding but will keep annual growth in federal spending capped at 6.5 per cent.

Asked ahead of the meeting whether the federal government would put more money on the table, Mr Turnbull said: “No”.

“This offer is a very generous one and it is entirely consistent with the deal that they all signed up to back in 2015,” he said.

The Prime Minister has ruled out boosting the government’s current offer, a new five-year deal which will add $31 billion to hospital funding from 2021 to 2025. Picture: AAP

Mr Weatherill is also refusing to budge on calls for all states and territories to sign up to a national redress scheme for the survivors of child sex abuse in institutions.

Attorney-General Christian Porter told Parliament yesterday there were no more excuses for churches and states to avoid signing up.

But Mr Weatherill has refused to take part, given SA has already held its own inquiry, issued an apology, established support services and a redress scheme, and eased time limits on perpetrators being brought to justice.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says the state wants public hospital funding to be equal between the state and federal governments. Picture: AAP

“Unlike other states, we already moved on this almost 10 years ago now,” he told ABC radio this morning.

“We’ve dealt with that, but we’re more than happy for the non-government organisations that haven’t properly accounted for these past deeds to be part of a national redress scheme,” Mr Weatherill said.

He resisted calls to fold his state’s compensation scheme into a national framework, but promised he would not do anything to slow down a countrywide redress scheme.

“We want it to be pursued; we think a scheme should be established and people should be able to gain access to it quickly,” Mr Weatherill said.

Mr Porter says excuses created the child abuse problem and must not prevent churches, charities, states and the territories from joining the redress scheme.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has rejected calls to sign up to a national redress scheme for survivors of child sex abuse. Picture: AAP

“Lingering reasons for delay are now starting to look, for any independent observer, as if minor details are being manifestly and deliberately used for needless delay,” he told parliament on Thursday.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pledged bipartisan support for the redress scheme.

“We think it is very well said, no more excuses, no more delays,” he said.

The state and federal leaders also agreed to extend their consultations on new Close the Gap targets to reduce inequality for indigenous Australians until October.

Of the current targets, six out of seven are not on track to succeed this year.

Originally published as COAG: PM rejects Victoria, South Australia calls for more public hospital funding