The Liberal National Government is continuing to deliver record hospital funding to the Metro North local hospital network, in each and every year, which is providing more doctors, more nurses and importantly more services for patients.
We categorically reject claims made in the media from the Queensland Labor Health Minister, Steven Miles about current funding levels to Metro North hospitals.
It is an undeniable fact that since 2014-15, funding from the Commonwealth has grown by 38%, yet during the same period the Annastacia Palaszczuk led Queensland Labor Government has only increased by a meagre 4% to hospitals in the Metro North region.
Across Queensland, the federal Coalition is delivering over $2.2 billion more to Queensland hospitals this year compared to what the former federal Labor Government funded in their last year in government.
Additionally, this week the Queensland government had an additional $381.9 million put in their bank accounts for public hospital funding, from the federal Liberal National Government, taking the total received to over $4 billion for 2016-17.
The additional funding was approved by the federal Treasurer and made based on the advice of two independent umpires – the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority and the Administrator of the National Health Funding Body.
The assertion that there are funding cuts to hospitals in Brisbane’s northern suburbs and more broadly across Queensland is a fallacy.
In a recently released report from the independent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare it was revealed that public hospital expenditure between 2015-16 and 2016-17 grew by 6% from the federal Liberal National Government, yet the Queensland Labor Government lagged behind with funding growth of just 1%.
Our Government’s funding record for the Metro North local hospital network is publicly available online, and we would encourage Steven Miles and the Labor party to visit https://www.publichospitalfunding.gov.au/ and correct the record.
The Liberal National Government’s new five year funding agreement will deliver $130.2 billion in Commonwealth hospital funding, including $30.2 billion in additional funding across Australia – delivering millions of new and extra hospital services to patients right around Australia.
We call on the Queensland Labor Government to stop putting politics ahead of patients and sign on to our agreement, which will deliver an additional $7.4 billion for public hospitals across the state.
These are the facts, continued record hospital funding for Brisbane’s north each and every year.