PM: It's great to be here in Gosford today, and it's great to be back on the Central Coast with Premier Kristina Keneally. And this is a good day for the people of the Central Coast. Here we have a growing region of some 300,000 people who have a basic ask, which is how do we get better access to cancer services in this region? And the Governments, both the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government, have listened very carefully to what locals have had to say.
And basically, what has taken my attention nationwide on this question is this- in some major categories of cancer, if you happen to live in rural and regional Australia, you are three times more likely to die within the first five years of diagnosis than you are if you live in a major metropolitan centre. That is just wrong. We have to change this for the future. And that is an important message here for the people of the Central Coast. But it's also an important message for people who live in regional Australia right across our country.
That's why together with Kristina Keneally we are today announcing a joint investment of $38.6 million to enhance cancer services here at Gosford, in order to enhance cancer services across the Central Coast. This $38.6 million is comprised of $28.6 from the Australian Government, $10 million from the Government of New South Wales. It is a good example of two Governments working together in such a critical area of health and hospital reform.
Across New South Wales each year, we have something in the order of 32,000 people who are freshly diagnosed with cancer each year. A large number of those folk live in this region. A large number of these folk across our nation, the 100,000 diagnosed each year, live in regional centres. So this is designed to enhance cancer services for them. This new facility at Gosford will include the construction of three radiotherapy bunkers, the installation of two linear accelerators, a CT scanner, an additional five chemotherapy treatment chairs. The funding will also support the enhancement of a multidisciplinary clinic and day oncology unit at Wyong Hospital.
These are important additions to cancer services in this region. Once fully operational, I'm advised that the Central Coast regional cancer service is expected to provide treatment for an additional 828 radiotherapy patients per year, and 2,500 additional chemotherapy treatments per year. These are good developments for this region. And this is just the beginning. We need to do more in the future as well. Can I also take this opportunity before I ask Kristina to comment on this service we are funding together, take the opportunity to thank all the local people who have been out here arguing for this for a long, long time.
I'd begin by acknowledging the work of Belinda, the Member for Robertson, and her long-standing advocacy of this over a long period of time. Can I also say that the local cancer groups, many of whom I have met today, too vast to mention individually. So can I say their voices have been heard loud and clear as well. To the health professionals, the oncologists, to the haematologists and those who work here at Gosford, I would thank them for their continued advocacy as well. Can I say this has been important work here in the local area, important advocacy, and it's the sort of stuff that we need to see more of into the future.
I conclude before turning to Kristina by saying this - right now, we, the Australian Government, State Governments, are engaged in a big debate on the future reform of the health and hospital system to deliver better health and better hospital services for all Australians, wherever they live. A cornerstone of all that is to make sure that we have got the best quality cancer services out there in regional and rural Australia as well. And that's why we're proud to be doing this together with Kristina's Government.
Over to you, Kristina.
KENEALLY: Thank you Kevin. It's wonderful to be joined with the Prime Minister here in the Central Coast. Prime Minister, it's terrific to have you in New South Wales as we expand in a very real way, a very tangible way, expand cancer services available to people in the Central Coast. And this is possible due to the partnership effort between the New South Wales Government and the Commonwealth Government. What we know is that in New South Wales, cancer survival rates are not just amongst the best in Australia, they're amongst the best in the world. And to be able to expand those cancer services here in the Central Coast, one of our fastest growing regions, is just terrific. And it is due to the Commonwealth's investments that that's possible.
It is a hallmark of the type of results that can be achieved through a partnership approach. And we know that this is something supported by the community, supported by clinicians here, and supported by the local Members, both state and federal, who have long campaigned for these services in the Central Coast region. It's terrific to be here today to announce and to stand with the Prime Minister and do so.
I'd like to acknowledge the Prime Minister's words about the reform process that we're undertaking. We in New South Wales recognise that for the first time in over a decade, we have a Commonwealth Government that's willing to be part of the solution when it comes to the future of our healthcare system. And we acknowledge that, we thank them, and we are determined over the coming days to work as hard as possible with the Commonwealth and our state and territory colleagues to achieve that historic agreement that will take us forward.
The people of New South Wales and the people of Australia expect us to do that. And we will. This is an opportunity to improve healthcare outcomes for the people of this state now, and to build a sustainable system into the future. To be sure, there are detailed discussions that need to occur. There are- there is analysis that needs to occur. That's happening now, between our senior officials, and back in Sydney with Government officials working around the clock so that we go to COAG best prepared, and that's able to put forward for the people of New South Wales and indeed, the for the people of Australia, the best possible solutions to the challenges that we face in our healthcare system.
So thank you Prime Minister, thank you, and I must particularly acknowledge the Members Murray Andrews, David Harrison, Grant McBride, who have worked with the local community to call for this centre and have campaigned for it. It's terrific to be here today to announce this funding of this substantial investment into healthcare on the Central Coast.
PM: Good, thank you very much Premier. And over to you folks for any questions that you've got. By the way I understand, I understand that you're going to have a stack of questions for the Premier on what I'd describe as state matters. That's terrific. Over to you Premier for that when it all happens.
KENEALLY: Thank you Kevin.
PM: So why don't we field, let's just call it health and hospital type questions and those which are relevant to what we're doing today, and then I might leave the Premier to your tender mercies for other matters. So, over to you folks. Sorry, you were about to ask.
JOURNALIST: When will the centre be operational, and what will be done for those local patients in treatment now?
PM: That's an excellent question. Kristina and I have just been talking to a number of those patients in chemotherapy chairs right now. I don't wish to mislead people that each of the items of additional equipment will be switched on overnight. They won't. The truth is that we have now budgeted for this money to occur. And that is fundamental to making sure that the extra services are added. My view, subject to what the Premier says, is that we will wait for the detailed implementation project management plans by the local hospital here, which will detail when each item of these will come on-stream.
I'd much rather we were fair dinkum with you about the delivery dates on each of those. What I am here though, today to say with the Premier is that the money for these services is delivered.
Furthermore, upstairs I confirmed to the patients that we're going to be delivering a PET scanner here as well. You will see details of that outlined in subsequent statements from the Commonwealth. It's important to provide these additional services to cancer sufferers here on the central coast.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, will Australian smokers face a tax hike to pay for the hospital reform?
PM: Well, as you know, there is a comprehensive review of taxation at present. It's called the Henry Review, an independent look at the entire Commonwealth taxation system. The Treasurer has already indicated that prior to the Australian budget being delivered that that document will be released and the Australian Government's response to it, so I think we just need to wait until that is done. That is what we have said before. We intend to stick to that discipline across all ranges of tax-related matters.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if John Brumby continues to be the fly in the ointment, what chance does (inaudible) with only five days remaining?
PM: Well, there are five days remaining until COAG, and can I say that I think people right across Australia and right across the state of New South Wales and across the state of Victoria are out there wanting us to provide a new plan for the future for health and hospitals.
I understand Mr Brumby is out there today arguing for no change to the current hospital system. You know something? No reform at COAG means the same old hospital system and the same old problems as we've had in the past and no reform at COAG is bad for doctors, bad for nurses and bad for patients, bad for working families.
You know something else? People right across our country are sick and tired of excuses for delay on fundamental reform for the health and hospital system. What's our approach? One, fix the fundamentals of this system now, and two, once you are also dealing with duplication, waste and overlap, get on with the business of growing the investments which our system needs, like the cancer services that we've announced today.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, one of the key architects of Medicare, John Deeble, has been quoted today calling your reforms as nothing more than spin and hype. What do you say to that?
PM: Look, everyone in one of these robust debates on the future of the health and hospital system's entitled to their point of view. That's fine. It's a democracy, and so should they express their point of view.
Can I just explain to you the process by which we've arrived at our recommendations?
One, as soon as this Australian Government was elected, within a few months we appointed Christine Bennett, formerly of Westmead in Sydney, to head the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. That Commission was made up of experts from across the medical profession and the nursing profession nationwide. They took 18 months after multiple submissions, multiple consultations right across the country to deliver to the Australian Government 123 recommendations for change. That's phase one.
Phase two is this: in the six or seven months subsequent to that, last half of last year, myself, the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, and others, we then conducted our own direct consultations with more than 100 hospitals across the nation. I did about 25 of these myself, and that is taking Bennett's 123 recommendations and saying 'how does this work for you? How does it work for your region? What's practical about this for your part of the world, and what doesn't work?' And we took all of those submissions on board.
Thirdly, we then produced our new National Health and Hospitals Network proposal over six weeks ago at the National Press Club. 48 hours ago I released volume two of that, which consolidates our proposed growth for the system, and that is now the subject of detailed collaboration and consultation between the states and territory officials.
That is a thorough process by which to reach some conclusions, and we have done this systematically, carefully, methodically to reform the system first and then to provide growth to the system as well.
Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but anyone who suggests this hasn't been developed carefully, systematically and methodically hasn't observed what the process is, and those whose recommendations may not have been taken on board by these panels of experts obviously may be a little disappointed.
Anything else, folks?
JOURNALIST: Hearing reports today the New South Wales Government's (inaudible) to reform the way the government (inaudible)?
PM: To be- I'll ask Kristina to obviously add to my answer on this, but you know something? If you look at the whole span of history, what you've had in the last decade or so is the Australian Government backing away from its financial role in the proper funding of our hospitals.
Let me put this in very simple, stark terms for you: when the Howard Government was elected in 1996, the Commonwealth was paying something around about 45 percent of the hospitals bill for country. Then, by the time the Howard Government left office it was down to about 37 percent or thereabouts. What you had was the Commonwealth Government under our predecessors stepping back from its role and basically sending the hospital pass to these good folks from the states.
Now, obviously, I won't say that any state system is perfectly run, be it Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland or anywhere else. There's always going to be problems.
So, what is fundamentally different about our reform proposal? A new National Health and Hospitals Network funded nationally, run locally, and for the first time the Australian Government becoming the dominant funders of the public hospital system of Australia.
We want to do that because we believe we've got to not only deal with the duplication and overlap and waste which currently exists, but provide our financial muscle to assist states running their systems in the future.
Kristina?
KENEALLY: Oh, look, and I'm happy to speak more about this in the section of the press conference, but suffice to say, though, that we in New South Wales have over the last year have brought down the debts that were owed to our creditors substantially, and I'm happy to provide those details in the next section of the press conference, but the Prime Minister points out, and rightly so, that what we have seen over the last decade is a withdrawal of support from the Commonwealth. The reason we're pursuing the opportunity that next Monday's COAG represents is that it does represent a substantial interest from the Commonwealth in being part of the solution going forward, but in the next section of the press conference we'll go into the details of that particular issue.
PM: OK, folks, if you've got nothing more I'm going to rock and roll, and-
JOURNALIST: One more question. Sorry to interrupt.
PM: OK, as long as it's a good one.
JOURNALIST: Here we go!
PM: I'm worried now.
JOURNALIST: From the Northern Territory in regards to support for the reforms and I suppose, if so, how big an impact will the Territory have in (inaudible)
PM: I've spoken at length to the Chief Minister when he was last in Canberra, and we had a good discussion about the particular needs of the Territory. The Territory has a massive challenge when it comes to Indigenous health. I think we all recognise that. New South Wales, together with ourselves only less than a year or so ago signed, for the first time, a national agreement on closing the gap with Indigenous Australians, which includes closing the gap in the delivery of health services and the support for better health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
In the Northern Territory you see this problem writ large, so the design of our system will in no way provide a reduction in services for Indigenous health services out there in the most difficult parts of the country - in fact, quite the reverse. We'll be out there continuing to support those services in the future.
Obviously, the Chief Minister, like other premiers and heads of government, will have some technical questions to raise. That's fine. We're there to work our way through those, but I conclude where I began - we have a once in a generation opportunity to fundamentally reform the health and hospital system of Australia's. This would be the single largest reform of the health and hospital system since the introduction of Medicare. We have a remarkable opportunity to deal with the fundamental cost duplication and waste and overlap in our current system and to fund future growth for better hospitals, more hospital beds, more doctors, more nurses and more cancer services in the future, so we've got to take this, grab this with both hands, this great historical opportunity and get on with it.
I think that's what the people of Australia, the people of New South Wales and Victoria and elsewhere in the country expect of us.
Having said that, I've got to zip and I'm sure you're going to be very nice to the Premier.