Queensland Premier slams ‘unfair’ deal as 900 elderly remain stuck in hospital
A war of words between the Prime Minister and state Health Minister is intensifying, as more than 900 elderly Queenslanders remain trapped in hospital beds waiting for aged care support.
More than 900 elderly Queenslanders are now languishing in hospital beds and waiting for aged care support.
Ahead of a national health ministers’ meeting on Friday, data compiled by the states show the number of elderly Australians stuck in hospital while waiting for an aged care bed has risen 26 per cent in four months to 3049, at a cost to taxpayers of $1.2bn a year.
The number of stranded elderly Queenslanders has risen from 837 in August to 909 in November, with the majority of them waiting for an aged care bed.
A further 350 younger Queenslanders could not be discharged because they were waiting for disability support.
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At their meeting in Brisbane on Friday, state and territory ministers will demand Canberra address the bed block crisis, and are on a “unity ticket” to push back against the Commonwealth’s latest hospital funding deal.
The government put an extra $3bn for public hospitals on the table this week – including a package to directly address the bed block crisis – bringing the total offer to $23bn over five years.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli slammed the Commonwealth’s offer as underwhelming and unfair.
“States of all different political persuasions are on a unity ticket about how bad the offer is in Canberra when it comes to that health deal and it’s not fair, it’s not fair on everyday Queenslanders, it’s not fair on the people who work there, and it’s not fair on those we call the stranded Australians,” Mr Crisafulli said.
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Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the federal government had denied Queenslanders a Christmas gift and were instead hearing from “the Grinch”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blasted Mr Nicholls in response, saying if the Queensland government “are serious about actually getting a breakthrough, they’ll act in a mature way”.
“Mr Nicholls has one job – to run public hospitals in Queensland … He should do it,” he said.
“Premiers should engage in good faith. If not, the Commonwealth does have other options.”
On Friday morning, Mr Nicholls fired back again at Mr Albanese after he sensationally urged him to “do his job”.
Speaking before the pivotal meeting with state and territory health ministers in Brisbane, Mr Nicholls said aged care and NDIS was a responsibility of the Commonwealth.
“Yes, I do have one job, my job is to make sure that Queenslanders get the best health care they can.
“But I can’t do that if the Commonwealth aren’t pulling their weight and aren’t doing what their constitution is obliged to do,” he said.
Mr Nicholls said Queensland needs up to $8bn in order to solve the bed block crisis.
“We’ve all got a very clear message for the Commonwealth, and that is the most recent offer is underwhelming and insufficient to meet those care needs,” he said.
“We’ll be making that point very clearly to Minister Butler (Federal Health Minister Mark Butler) today, and hopefully he’ll be relaying that to the Prime Minister.”
Mr Butler said while he would help narrow down the points of the agreement, it would ultimately be up to state and territory premiers, chief ministers and the Prime Minister to reach a resolution.
“Our job really is to narrow the points of this agreement down to a manageable list that ultimately, premiers and chief ministers and the Prime Minister are going to have to resolve because they cross well beyond health, with disability and some other areas,” he said.
Mr Butler would not say if Mr Nicholls’ plea for up to $8bn would be on the table.
“The one reliable thing about Australian politics is the state government’s asking more money from the Commonwealth,” he said.
“Ultimately, some of those questions are going to have to be resolved by our bosses, the Prime Minister and premiers.”
Chair and South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton said all jurisdictions would present a united front in pushing Mr Butler to stump up a better deal.
The states agreed in 2023 to help ease the burden of the ballooning NDIS in return for Commonwealth public hospital funding to increase to 42.5 per cent by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2035.
The Commonwealth had offered $20bn over five years to settle the dispute, but states and territories say that equates to only about 35 per cent of funding.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday there was a good chance a deal could still be done this year, but demanded states ensure every hospital was operating as efficiently as they could.
The Greens called on Mr Butler to use Friday’s meeting to commit to ending the “rationing” of aged care, as new data shows more than 266,000 Australians are on waiting lists.
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Originally published as Queensland Premier slams ‘unfair’ deal as 900 elderly remain stuck in hospital
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