At tomorrow's Council of Australian Governments meeting, I will be indicating the Commonwealth's willingness to fund a further 200 medical school places, additional to the 400 that I announced on 8 April this year. I will be putting this offer on the table in the hope that it will enable Premiers and Chief Ministers to agree to a comprehensive package of health workforce reforms that responds to the Productivity Commission's report into the health workforce released late last year.
Importantly, these places are also being offered on the condition that Premiers and Chief Ministers provide an effective guarantee that they will provide sufficient resources and undertake appropriate planning to ensure high quality clinical training placements and intern training for all of these new Commonwealth-funded places.
I am aware that some Premiers have indicated that this is their specific intent and that Victoria has backed this up with a public funding guarantee to cover an expanded clinical training commitment. I welcome this Victorian commitment. However, some vaguer and less convincing guarantees have also been made by other states.
Given that Premiers have continued to pressure the Commonwealth for medical school places, this guarantee is of utmost importance to ensure the ongoing high standard of the Australian health workforce.
If agreement is reached at COAG, this would bring the total new Commonwealth health workforce contribution to 600 new medical school places, at a cost to the Commonwealth of about $120 million over four years, as well as over 1000 new nursing places and 573 other health-related places.
The new medical school places, would be implemented gradually, with some of the places commencing in 2007 and the full 600 becoming available by 2011.
The places would be allocated to a range of universities across Australia. Eighty places would be allocated to the University of New England and the University of Newcastle to establish a new medical school at the University of New England, with a strong focus on rural medical practice.
Thirty new places would be given to each of the University of Melbourne and Monash University, on top of the forty places earlier announced for Monash University's Gippsland campus, to address unmet rural medical workforce needs in northern Victoria. Monash and Melbourne Universities already have a well-established network of affiliated hospitals and primary care facilities in northern Victoria and this injection of places will further expand clinical opportunities in Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Swan Hill, Echuca and Wangaratta.
Further information on the proposed allocation of these medical places across states, and universities is at Attachment A.
To support these new medical school places, the Commonwealth would also be prepared to provide $48.5 million in new capital funding for a number of universities, subject to matching funding from State governments. This includes $15 million to James Cook University, $7.5 million to the University of Queensland and $3 million for a new joint programme at the University of New England and University of Newcastle. The figure also includes capital funding of $18 million for Deakin University and $5 million for Monash University, which I announced on 8 April 2006 and which will be matched by the Victorian Government.
In addition, the Minister for Education, Science and Training has received a number of requests from universities to create some additional medical places through the conversion of existing student places in other disciplines. These requests are under consideration.
From 2000 to 2006, the number of commencing Commonwealth-funded medical places increased by more than 400 places. The measures I am putting forward for COAG's consideration, in conjunction with other recent increases in places, would result in a 97 per cent increase in the number of commencing Commonwealth-funded medical school places from 2000 to 2011.
To further strengthen Australia's future health workforce, I am also pleased to announce today information on the allocation of over 1000 new nursing places (as detailed in Attachment B) and 573 other health-related places (as detailed in Attachment C) that will commence in 2007 as part of Backing Australia's Future. These places will be available across a range of disciplines including physiotherapy, pharmacy and dental studies.
Further announcements on the allocation of the remaining Backing Australia's Future places will be made by the Minister for Education Science and Training in coming weeks.
On 5 April 2006, as part of the Commonwealth's contribution to the COAG mental health package I announced additional mental health nursing places and clinical psychology places which will also contribute to the expansion of the health workforce. Information on the allocation of 210 additional clinical psychology places is at Attachment D, and 431 additional mental health nursing places is at Attachment E.
The previously announced investments in Australia's health workforce, along with my offer of additional medical school places, forms a significant part of the Commonwealth's contribution to a COAG package of health workforce reforms.
It is my great hope that Premiers and Chief Ministers will tomorrow provide the guarantees and agreement necessary to lay the groundwork for a sustainable health workforce, and I look forward to meeting with them to discuss these issues further.
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ATTACHMENT A:
PROPOSED ALLOCATION OF 600 NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL PLACES
Medical Schools Allocation of places
NEW SOUTH WALES
University of New South Wales 15 University of Western Sydney 15 University of New England1 -
University of Newcastle 80
TOTAL 110
VICTORIA University of Melbourne (Northern Victoria) 30 Monash University (Northern Victoria) 30 Monash University (Gippsland) 402 Deakin University 1202
TOTAL 220
QUEENSLAND
University of Queensland 30 James Cook University 50 Griffith University 70
TOTAL 150
SOUTH AUSTRALIA University of Adelaide 40 Flinders University 20
TOTAL 60
WESTERN AUSTRALIA University of Western Australia 40 University of Notre Dame (WA) 20
TOTAL 60
TASMANIA -
NORTHERN TERRITORY -
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY -
TOTAL 600
1. The University of New England does not currently have a medical school.
2. 40 of the places for Monash University and all 120 places for Deakin University have already been allocated and announced on 8 April 2006.
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ATTACHMENT B:
ALLOCATION OF NEW NURSING PLACES
Higher Education Nursing Providers Allocation of places
NEW SOUTH WALES
Avondale College 56 University of New England 20 University of Sydney 60 University of Notre Dame (Sydney) 40
TOTAL 176
VICTORIA Australian Catholic University - Ballarat 35 Australian Catholic University - Melbourne 85 La Trobe University 20 University of Melbourne 50 University of Ballarat 20 Victoria University 40
TOTAL 250
QUEENSLAND
Australian Catholic University - Brisbane 35 Griffith University 20 University of Southern Queensland 50 University of the Sunshine Coast 100
TOTAL 205
SOUTH AUSTRALIA University of Adelaide 10
TOTAL 10
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Murdoch University 25 University of Notre Dame (WA) 70
TOTAL 95
TASMANIA University of Tasmania 250*
TOTAL 250*
NORTHERN TERRITORY -
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Australian Catholic University - Canberra 50
TOTAL 50
TOTAL 1036
* 150 of these places will be offered in Sydney
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ATTACHMENT C:
BACKING AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE: ALLOCATION OF NEW HEALTH RELATED PLACES
Universities ALLOCATION OF PLACES
NEW SOUTH WALES
Charles Sturt University 40 Bachelor of Clinical Science 40 University of Newcastle 118 Bachelor of Biomedical Science 10 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Nuclear Medicine) 20 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Diagnostic Radiography) 15 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Radiation Therapy) 5 Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics 10 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy 17 Bachelor of Physiotherapy 8 Bachelor of Podiatry 23 Bachelor of Speech Pathology 10 University of Sydney 90 Bachelor of Dentistry and Bachelor of Oral Health 40 Master of Pharmacy 10 Master of Physiotherapy 20 Master of Speech Language Pathology 10 Postgraduate Clinical Program in Psychology 10 University of Wollongong 30 Bachelor of Health Science 20 Master of Science (Midwifery) 10
TOTAL 278
VICTORIA Deakin University 65 Bachelor of Biomedical Science 20 Bachelor of Health Sciences 35 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy 10 Victoria University 20 Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedic) 20
TOTAL 85
QUEENSLAND
Griffith University 60 Bachelor of Medical Science 30 Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science 20 Master of Midwifery 10 Queensland University of Technology 85 Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Science) 10 Bachelor of Biomedical Science 10 Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedic) 40 Bachelor of Health Science (Public Health)/Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) 25 University of Southern Queensland 20 Graduate Certificate of Indigenous Mental Health and Well Being 20 University of the Sunshine Coast 20 Undergraduate Nutrition and Dietetics 20
TOTAL 185
SOUTH AUSTRALIA -
WESTERN AUSTRALIA -
TASMANIA University of Tasmania 25 Associate Degree in Paramedic Studies (note - 2 year course) 15 Bachelor of Pharmacy 10
TOTAL 25
NORTHERN TERRITORY -
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY -
TOTAL 573
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ATTACHMENT D:
ALLOCATION OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PLACES
Universities Allocation of places
NEW SOUTH WALES
Charles Sturt University 10 University of New England 12 University of Newcastle 6
TOTAL 28
VICTORIA Australian Catholic University - Melbourne 10 Deakin University 21 Swinburne University of Technology 6 University of Melbourne 10 University of Ballarat 5 Victoria University 10
TOTAL 62
QUEENSLAND
Griffith University 30 Queensland University of Technology 5 University of Southern Queensland 10
TOTAL 45
SOUTH AUSTRALIA University of Adelaide 10
TOTAL 10
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Curtin University of Technology 5 Murdoch University 15 University of Western Australia 20
TOTAL 40
TASMANIA -
NORTHERN TERRITORY -
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Australian National University 10 University of Canberra 15
TOTAL 25
TOTAL 210
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ATTACHMENT E:
ALLOCATION OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING PLACES
Universities Allocation of places
NEW SOUTH WALES
University of New England 20 University of Newcastle 60 University of Notre Dame (Sydney) 20 University of Wollongong 10
TOTAL 110
VICTORIA La Trobe University 20 Monash University 50 RMIT University 5 University of Melbourne 45 Victoria University 40
TOTAL 160
QUEENSLAND
Griffith University 20 James Cook University 10 University of the Sunshine Coast 30
TOTAL 60
SOUTH AUSTRALIA Flinders University 40 University of Adelaide 25
TOTAL 65
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Edith Cowan University 10 University of Notre Dame (WA) 20
TOTAL 30
TASMANIA -
NORTHERN TERRITORY Charles Darwin University 6
TOTAL 6
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY -
TOTAL 431
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