It is disappointing that Daniel Andrews has turned his back on more than $7 billion in additional funding for Victorian hospitals.
Today he has put politics ahead of patients.
We welcome the decision by the New South Wales and Western Australian Governments to sign onto an agreement that will deliver record funding for their hospitals.
We stand ready to deliver record funding for Victorian hospitals, providing more doctors, nurses and services.
Under the new deal offered today by the Turnbull Government, Victorian hospital funding would increase from $24 billion in the five years to 2019-20, to more than $31 billion in the five years to 2024-25.
This is a funding increase of nearly 30 per cent and takes into account Victoria’s strong population growth.
The more patients treated, the more funding the Commonwealth provides.
Our record hospital funding means more doctors, more nurses and importantly more services and support for Victorian patients.
Daniel Andrews must also explain why Commonwealth funding for Victoria is growing faster than his own contribution.
Between 2013-14 and 2016-17 the Commonwealth increased funding to Victorian hospitals by 36.4% while the Victorian Labor Government only increased its funding by 13.9%.
If anyone is short-changing Victorian patients, it is Daniel Andrews.
As part of a new long-term agreement, the Turnbull Government will provide an additional $30 billion for Australian hospitals, totalling almost $128 billion over the next five years.
This will deliver millions of additional services to Australian patients.
Every year would be a record funding amount, in each and every state and territory.
(ENDS)