‘Putting lives at risk': Slim budget allocation sets back dire hospital developments
The State Budget contained just $10 million to revamp emergency departments at Royal Perth Hospital and Midland Hospital, prompting fears the projects won't be delivered for years.
Both the Opposition and the Australian Medical Association have raised concerns about when these projects — promised at the recent State election — will happen, saying the Perth health system needs help now.
AMA WA president Dr Michael Page said the health system needed thousands more beds — and could not afford to wait years for upgrades to the emergency departments at both hospitals.
'It (having only $5m allocated for each project) would indicate that they are not planning to do any building work within the next 12 months, and that's concerning,' Dr Page said.
'For all the talk of these projects going some way towards addressing the stress that the health system is under, even if that is a questionable proposition, if no building is going to commence in the next 12 months then when are we looking at any improvement in health system performance?
'It's years away when the problem is right now. There is an urgency with the public health system that is not being addressed.'
The $104m upgrade at RPH and the $105m upgrade at Midland Hospital were both lauded by Labor in the lead up to the March election.
Opposition health spokesperson Libby Mettam said it was particularly galling that Labor's $217m racetrack and entertainment precinct at Burswood had been fully funded in Thursday's State Budget.
'Labor's misplaced priorities are putting lives at risk,' Ms Mettam said.
'There can be no clearer message to the people of Western Australia about the priorities of the Premier and his Government.
'These promised expansions were already a desperate catch-up for a system under extreme pressure, now they have effectively been kicked down the road until who knows when.
'Ambulance ramping at our emergency departments last month was the worst ever on record for May, at a time when doctors are warning of a severe flu season in the months ahead.
'Every time the Premier or minister stands in Parliament they are effectively turning their backs on the many Western Australians who have had to wait hours in an ambulance for admission to ED or has been treated on a trolley in the corridor or has made the uncomfortable decision to leave an ED without treatment because the wait is too long.'
A spokesperson said on Saturday the Cook Government was investing $3.2 billion into health infrastructure over the next four years.
This included money to undertake the detailed planning for the Royal Perth and Midland emergency department expansions.
'We're already in the process of establishing teams who will work within the new Office of Major Infrastructure to deliver the two emergency department expansions,' the spokesperson said.
'The reason we held an early Budget, was so we could get on with delivering key commitments like expanding the emergency departments at Royal Perth and Midland, to cater for our growing population.
'These are complex projects that are undertaken while hospitals remain operational, and cannot occur without detailed planning work happening first.
'We need to ensure we get it right, and planning was always going to be the first priority.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
ACT budget on life support amid health funding woes
The ACT budget has a health problem. When Treasurer Chris Steel, fresh in the job after Labor's seventh straight election win, provided a mid-year budget update in February, he was forced to make an embarrassing admission. The territory's budget deficit had blown out to $971 million, more than 50 per cent higher than predicted just seven months earlier. The government's anaemic revenue stream is falling behind what's needed to meet the growing demand for health services of its ageing population. Health spending accounted for less than 30 per cent of the ACT budget in the 90s, Mr Steel says. Now it accounts for 36 per cent. "All of us are facing this massive fiscal challenge from the growth in demand and cost on our hospital systems," the treasurer tells AAP. "That is something that we want to address with the Commonwealth sitting down and getting underway with negotiations on a new five-year National Health Reform Agreement." The agreement lays out how much funding the federal government doles out to states and territories to run their hospital systems. The current agreement runs out on June 30 and the Commonwealth has only guaranteed funding for one more year in a stop-gap deal for 2025/26. While the interim agreement gives the ACT a 16 per cent funding increase from the current financial year, Mr Steel says it's not enough. "The extent of demand and cost in the healthcare system is not being acknowledged by the Commonwealth," he says. Current funding arrangements would result in the federal government contributing to 33 per cent of ACT hospital funding, when the Albanese government has promised to raise their contribution to 45 per cent by 2035. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the Commonwealth was working on finalising negotiations by the end of 2025. Mr Steel stresses the situation is changing for the better under the Albanese government, instead pinning the blame on the previous coalition government for a "decade of underinvestment" in Medicare and general practice. Tuesday's ACT budget will include measures to boost frontline services too, such as payroll tax changes that incentivise bulk billing, intended to take pressure off hospitals. In exchange for a better funding deal, the territory government could help its federal counterpart control the spiralling cost of the NDIS by providing more foundational supports for young males, who are signing up to the scheme at a rate of more than one in 10. "But we also need the Commonwealth to recognise that beyond the NDIS pressures, the major pressure that governments face in this country is about pressure on our acute hospital systems, and that is something that has to be addressed," Mr Steel says. The ACT budget has a health problem. When Treasurer Chris Steel, fresh in the job after Labor's seventh straight election win, provided a mid-year budget update in February, he was forced to make an embarrassing admission. The territory's budget deficit had blown out to $971 million, more than 50 per cent higher than predicted just seven months earlier. The government's anaemic revenue stream is falling behind what's needed to meet the growing demand for health services of its ageing population. Health spending accounted for less than 30 per cent of the ACT budget in the 90s, Mr Steel says. Now it accounts for 36 per cent. "All of us are facing this massive fiscal challenge from the growth in demand and cost on our hospital systems," the treasurer tells AAP. "That is something that we want to address with the Commonwealth sitting down and getting underway with negotiations on a new five-year National Health Reform Agreement." The agreement lays out how much funding the federal government doles out to states and territories to run their hospital systems. The current agreement runs out on June 30 and the Commonwealth has only guaranteed funding for one more year in a stop-gap deal for 2025/26. While the interim agreement gives the ACT a 16 per cent funding increase from the current financial year, Mr Steel says it's not enough. "The extent of demand and cost in the healthcare system is not being acknowledged by the Commonwealth," he says. Current funding arrangements would result in the federal government contributing to 33 per cent of ACT hospital funding, when the Albanese government has promised to raise their contribution to 45 per cent by 2035. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the Commonwealth was working on finalising negotiations by the end of 2025. Mr Steel stresses the situation is changing for the better under the Albanese government, instead pinning the blame on the previous coalition government for a "decade of underinvestment" in Medicare and general practice. Tuesday's ACT budget will include measures to boost frontline services too, such as payroll tax changes that incentivise bulk billing, intended to take pressure off hospitals. In exchange for a better funding deal, the territory government could help its federal counterpart control the spiralling cost of the NDIS by providing more foundational supports for young males, who are signing up to the scheme at a rate of more than one in 10. "But we also need the Commonwealth to recognise that beyond the NDIS pressures, the major pressure that governments face in this country is about pressure on our acute hospital systems, and that is something that has to be addressed," Mr Steel says. The ACT budget has a health problem. When Treasurer Chris Steel, fresh in the job after Labor's seventh straight election win, provided a mid-year budget update in February, he was forced to make an embarrassing admission. The territory's budget deficit had blown out to $971 million, more than 50 per cent higher than predicted just seven months earlier. The government's anaemic revenue stream is falling behind what's needed to meet the growing demand for health services of its ageing population. Health spending accounted for less than 30 per cent of the ACT budget in the 90s, Mr Steel says. Now it accounts for 36 per cent. "All of us are facing this massive fiscal challenge from the growth in demand and cost on our hospital systems," the treasurer tells AAP. "That is something that we want to address with the Commonwealth sitting down and getting underway with negotiations on a new five-year National Health Reform Agreement." The agreement lays out how much funding the federal government doles out to states and territories to run their hospital systems. The current agreement runs out on June 30 and the Commonwealth has only guaranteed funding for one more year in a stop-gap deal for 2025/26. While the interim agreement gives the ACT a 16 per cent funding increase from the current financial year, Mr Steel says it's not enough. "The extent of demand and cost in the healthcare system is not being acknowledged by the Commonwealth," he says. Current funding arrangements would result in the federal government contributing to 33 per cent of ACT hospital funding, when the Albanese government has promised to raise their contribution to 45 per cent by 2035. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the Commonwealth was working on finalising negotiations by the end of 2025. Mr Steel stresses the situation is changing for the better under the Albanese government, instead pinning the blame on the previous coalition government for a "decade of underinvestment" in Medicare and general practice. Tuesday's ACT budget will include measures to boost frontline services too, such as payroll tax changes that incentivise bulk billing, intended to take pressure off hospitals. In exchange for a better funding deal, the territory government could help its federal counterpart control the spiralling cost of the NDIS by providing more foundational supports for young males, who are signing up to the scheme at a rate of more than one in 10. "But we also need the Commonwealth to recognise that beyond the NDIS pressures, the major pressure that governments face in this country is about pressure on our acute hospital systems, and that is something that has to be addressed," Mr Steel says. The ACT budget has a health problem. When Treasurer Chris Steel, fresh in the job after Labor's seventh straight election win, provided a mid-year budget update in February, he was forced to make an embarrassing admission. The territory's budget deficit had blown out to $971 million, more than 50 per cent higher than predicted just seven months earlier. The government's anaemic revenue stream is falling behind what's needed to meet the growing demand for health services of its ageing population. Health spending accounted for less than 30 per cent of the ACT budget in the 90s, Mr Steel says. Now it accounts for 36 per cent. "All of us are facing this massive fiscal challenge from the growth in demand and cost on our hospital systems," the treasurer tells AAP. "That is something that we want to address with the Commonwealth sitting down and getting underway with negotiations on a new five-year National Health Reform Agreement." The agreement lays out how much funding the federal government doles out to states and territories to run their hospital systems. The current agreement runs out on June 30 and the Commonwealth has only guaranteed funding for one more year in a stop-gap deal for 2025/26. While the interim agreement gives the ACT a 16 per cent funding increase from the current financial year, Mr Steel says it's not enough. "The extent of demand and cost in the healthcare system is not being acknowledged by the Commonwealth," he says. Current funding arrangements would result in the federal government contributing to 33 per cent of ACT hospital funding, when the Albanese government has promised to raise their contribution to 45 per cent by 2035. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the Commonwealth was working on finalising negotiations by the end of 2025. Mr Steel stresses the situation is changing for the better under the Albanese government, instead pinning the blame on the previous coalition government for a "decade of underinvestment" in Medicare and general practice. Tuesday's ACT budget will include measures to boost frontline services too, such as payroll tax changes that incentivise bulk billing, intended to take pressure off hospitals. In exchange for a better funding deal, the territory government could help its federal counterpart control the spiralling cost of the NDIS by providing more foundational supports for young males, who are signing up to the scheme at a rate of more than one in 10. "But we also need the Commonwealth to recognise that beyond the NDIS pressures, the major pressure that governments face in this country is about pressure on our acute hospital systems, and that is something that has to be addressed," Mr Steel says.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
ACT budget on life support amid health funding woes
The ACT budget has a health problem. When Treasurer Chris Steel, fresh in the job after Labor's seventh straight election win, provided a mid-year budget update in February, he was forced to make an embarrassing admission. The territory's budget deficit had blown out to $971 million, more than 50 per cent higher than predicted just seven months earlier. The government's anaemic revenue stream is falling behind what's needed to meet the growing demand for health services of its ageing population. Health spending accounted for less than 30 per cent of the ACT budget in the 90s, Mr Steel says. Now it accounts for 36 per cent. "All of us are facing this massive fiscal challenge from the growth in demand and cost on our hospital systems," the treasurer tells AAP. "That is something that we want to address with the Commonwealth sitting down and getting underway with negotiations on a new five-year National Health Reform Agreement." The agreement lays out how much funding the federal government doles out to states and territories to run their hospital systems. The current agreement runs out on June 30 and the Commonwealth has only guaranteed funding for one more year in a stop-gap deal for 2025/26. While the interim agreement gives the ACT a 16 per cent funding increase from the current financial year, Mr Steel says it's not enough. "The extent of demand and cost in the healthcare system is not being acknowledged by the Commonwealth," he says. Current funding arrangements would result in the federal government contributing to 33 per cent of ACT hospital funding, when the Albanese government has promised to raise their contribution to 45 per cent by 2035. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the Commonwealth was working on finalising negotiations by the end of 2025. Mr Steel stresses the situation is changing for the better under the Albanese government, instead pinning the blame on the previous coalition government for a "decade of underinvestment" in Medicare and general practice. Tuesday's ACT budget will include measures to boost frontline services too, such as payroll tax changes that incentivise bulk billing, intended to take pressure off hospitals. In exchange for a better funding deal, the territory government could help its federal counterpart control the spiralling cost of the NDIS by providing more foundational supports for young males, who are signing up to the scheme at a rate of more than one in 10. "But we also need the Commonwealth to recognise that beyond the NDIS pressures, the major pressure that governments face in this country is about pressure on our acute hospital systems, and that is something that has to be addressed," Mr Steel says.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
‘Putting lives at risk': Slim budget allocation sets back dire hospital developments
The State Budget contained just $10 million to revamp emergency departments at Royal Perth Hospital and Midland Hospital, prompting fears the projects won't be delivered for years. Both the Opposition and the Australian Medical Association have raised concerns about when these projects — promised at the recent State election — will happen, saying the Perth health system needs help now. AMA WA president Dr Michael Page said the health system needed thousands more beds — and could not afford to wait years for upgrades to the emergency departments at both hospitals. 'It (having only $5m allocated for each project) would indicate that they are not planning to do any building work within the next 12 months, and that's concerning,' Dr Page said. 'For all the talk of these projects going some way towards addressing the stress that the health system is under, even if that is a questionable proposition, if no building is going to commence in the next 12 months then when are we looking at any improvement in health system performance? 'It's years away when the problem is right now. There is an urgency with the public health system that is not being addressed.' The $104m upgrade at RPH and the $105m upgrade at Midland Hospital were both lauded by Labor in the lead up to the March election. Opposition health spokesperson Libby Mettam said it was particularly galling that Labor's $217m racetrack and entertainment precinct at Burswood had been fully funded in Thursday's State Budget. 'Labor's misplaced priorities are putting lives at risk,' Ms Mettam said. 'There can be no clearer message to the people of Western Australia about the priorities of the Premier and his Government. 'These promised expansions were already a desperate catch-up for a system under extreme pressure, now they have effectively been kicked down the road until who knows when. 'Ambulance ramping at our emergency departments last month was the worst ever on record for May, at a time when doctors are warning of a severe flu season in the months ahead. 'Every time the Premier or minister stands in Parliament they are effectively turning their backs on the many Western Australians who have had to wait hours in an ambulance for admission to ED or has been treated on a trolley in the corridor or has made the uncomfortable decision to leave an ED without treatment because the wait is too long.' A spokesperson said on Saturday the Cook Government was investing $3.2 billion into health infrastructure over the next four years. This included money to undertake the detailed planning for the Royal Perth and Midland emergency department expansions. 'We're already in the process of establishing teams who will work within the new Office of Major Infrastructure to deliver the two emergency department expansions,' the spokesperson said. 'The reason we held an early Budget, was so we could get on with delivering key commitments like expanding the emergency departments at Royal Perth and Midland, to cater for our growing population. 'These are complex projects that are undertaken while hospitals remain operational, and cannot occur without detailed planning work happening first. 'We need to ensure we get it right, and planning was always going to be the first priority.'
