Greens $30bn hospital funding push

More than $30bn in taxpayer dollars would be pumped into public hospitals under a newly-unveiled Greens policy that plans to scrap the 6.5 per cent cap in funding growth

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John. Picture: Getty Images

More than $30bn in taxpayer funds would be pumped into public hospitals under a newly unveiled Greens policy that plans to scrap the 6.5 per cent cap in funding growth and see the federal and state governments fund the sector 50-50.

The announcement follows the release of other major policies in recent months, including the $46bn plan to add dental to Medicare, which would be funded by “Robin Hood” taxes on big companies to raise more than $500bn over the next decade.

Greens health spokesman Jordon Steele-John unveiled the party’s plan for public hospitals on Wednesday and urged Australians to preference Greens and see the policy enforced.

“It’s time for the major parties to stop passing the buck between state and federal governments and do what the community expects – that is, invest the money needed to ensure everyone can access the best possible healthcare at our local public hospitals,” he said.

“This election there is a clear choice – more of the same underfunding of our local public hospitals, or we can get more Greens into federal parliament to make billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax to fund the public healthcare our community needs, like well-resourced local public hospitals, dental into Medicare, and seeing the GP for free.”

The Greens announcement comes amid negotiations between federal and state governments over hospital funding and NDIS cost-sharing, which Anthony Albanese tied together in 2023.

In June, Health Minister Mark Butler informed state ministers that the negotiations on hospital funding would be put on pause until the plans for NDIS cost sharing – which will include the creation of a new stream of mainstream supports for less disabled Australians – were finalised.

The mainstream supports, also known as foundational supports, would be funded on a 50-50 basis between the federal and state governments.

The Australian understands the hospital funding negotiations were restarted in November.

Mr Butler said the final hospital agreement would ensure hospitals, aged care, disability care and general practices were “working more effectively together to get better outcomes”.

“The commonwealth has put $17.8bn of additional funding on the table for states and territories as part of negotiations for the new agreement,” he said. “For too long we’ve seen governments stuck in trench warfare playing the blame game on hospital funding. This infuriates Australians when all they want is to make sure they don’t spend hours ramped in an ambulance or waiting in an overcrowded emergency department.”