EMBARGO: 7 mlSL 1
QUEENSLAND BROADCAST NO. 1/ 4
MEDIBANK ( 2)
SUNDAY 22 JUNE 1975
I SPOKE TO YOU ABOUT MEDIBANK IN THE VERY
FIRST OF THESE BROADCASTS I GAVE THREE MONTHS AGO.
I WANT TO RETURN TO THE SUBJECT THIS WEEK BECAUSE OF
THE INCREDIBLE MUDDLE IN WHICH THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
NOW FINDS ITSELF THROUGH ITS EFFORTS TO SABOTAGE THE
SCHEME. IT'S NOW LIKELY THAT QUEENSLAND WILL BE THE ONLY
STATE PREPARED TO DENY ITS CITIZENS THE BENEFITS OF THE
HOSPITAL SIDE OF MEDIBANK -THE ONLY STATE TO HOLD OUT.
YOU SHOULD BE QUITE CLEAR IN YOUR MINDS
THAT WHATEVER THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT MAY OR MAY NOT
DO AND THEY'IVE HAD MANY MONTHS TO MAKE UP THEIR MINDS-
* THE MEDICAL SIDE OF MEDIBANK WILL START AS PLANNED ON
TUESDAY WEEK, FROM THAT DAY ON, EVERY AUSTRALIAN, EVERY
QUEENSLANDER, WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY INSURED FREE OF CHARGE,
FOR ALL MEDICAL TREATMENT. ALL OF US NOW HAVE OUR
MEDIBANK CARDS. PEOPLE WILL PAY NOTHING FOR THEIR
MEDICAL INSURANCE TO COVER DOCTORS'I BILLS,, IF THE DOCTOR
SENDS HIS BILL TO MEDIBANK, PATIENTS WILL PAY NOTHING FOR
THE DOCTOR'IS SERVICES. THAT'S GOING AHEAD AS PLANNED.
IT IS ONE OF THE VERY GREAT SOCIAL REFORMS UNDER THIS
LABOR GOVERNMENT. s/@ 2
WHAT IS AT STAKE IN QUEENSLAND IS THE HOSPITAL
SIDE OF MEDIBANK, Now I KNOW THAT QUEENSLAND ALREADY
HAS FREE PUBLIC HOSPITALS, THANKS TO A PREVIOUS STATE
LABOR GOVERNMENTS BUT THAT'S NO REASON WHY QUEENSLANDERS
SHOULD BE DENIED THE EXTRA MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE,
THE EXTRA RANGE OF SERVICES AND OTHER BENEFITS THAT WOULD
COME FROM FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE MEDIBANK ARRANGEMENTS.
ONLY THIS WEEK, IN ADELAIDE, I SIGNED WITH THE
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIER. MR DUNSTAN, THE AGREEMENT
MAKING-SOUTH AUSTRALIA THE FIRST FULL PARTICIPANT IN THE
MEDIBANK SCHEME. I SIGNED A SIMILAR AGREEMENT WITH0
TASMANIA. THESE AGREEMENTS MEAN THAT NOT ONLY WILL
SOUTH AUSTRALIANS AND TASMANIANS BE ENTITLED TO FREE
TREATMENT IN '& TA1 HOSPITAL WARDS; THEY'LL BE GETTING
FREE OUTPATIENT SERVICES AND LOWER HOSPITAL CHARGES FOR
INTERMEDIATE AND PRIVATE WARDS. ON TOP OF THAT, PRIVATE
HOSPITALS NOT JUST PUBLIC HOSPITALS WILL BE GETTING
A BETTER DEAL; ANOTHER $ 16 A DAY FOR EVERY PATIENT IN
THEIR CARE, FOR THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THERE'LL0
BE A SAVING OF $ 28 MILLION A YEAR MONEY WHICH THE STATE
CAN SPEND IN ANY AREA OF ITS RESPONSIBILITY ON BETTER
HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT OR MORE HOSPITAL STAFF, OR ON OTHER
THINGS THE PEOPLE NEED, LIKE SCHOOLS, RAILWAYS, ROADS, HOUSING.
3.
THERE'LL BE SIMILAR BENEFITS FOR EVERY
OTHER STATE THAT JOINS. THERE'LL BE SIMILAR BENEFITS
FOR QUEENSLAND IF QUEENSLAND JOINS. YOU'LL HAVE NOTICED
THAT SOME OF THE STATES THAT WERE HOLDING OUT
PUTTING UP ALL SORTS OF UNACCEPTABLELAST-MINUTE.
CONDITIONS, CONDITIONS INTENDED TO DESTROY THE WHOLE
CONCEPT OF A FREE HOSPITAL SERVICE -ARE NOW ANXIOUS TO
COME IN. WELL, GOOD-LUCK TO THEM -BETTER LATE
THAN NEVER. BUT REMEMBER: FOR EVERY DAY THAT QUEENSLAND
STAYS OUT, FOR EVERY DAY THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
DITHERS AND ARGUES, THE QUEENSLAND PEOPLE WILL PAY
HEAVILY. IF THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT FAILS TO JOIN MEDIBANK
THEY'ILL BE SACRIFICING AN EXTRA $ 50 MILLION A YEAR IN
REVENUE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. i1/ 4
YOU'D WONDER HOW ANY STATE COULD JUSTIFY SUCH AN
ATTITUDE, IN THE PAST FEW DAYS WE HAVE HEARD THE PREMIERS
CRYING FOR MORE MONEY. WHY DON'T THEY USE THE MONEY WE
OFFER THEM? WHY LET THIS OBSESSION WITH STATE RIGHTS
STAND IN THE WAY OF THE PEOPLE'IS NEEDS? THE FACT IS THAT
WE GAVE THE STATES A VERY FAIR FINANCIAL DEAL AT THE
PREMIERS' CONFERENCE THIS WEEK. UNDER TLEGISATIO THA EILTO
PASSED FIVE YEARS AGO, THE STATES WOULD HAVE BEEN ENTITLED
TO $ 2997 MILLION NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR; THEY WILL IN FACT BE
GETTING $ 3220 MILLION. THEY WILL HAVE 36 PERCENT MORE
MONEY TO SPEND IN REVENUES IN THE COMING YEAR THAN IN THE
YEAR JUST ENDING. QUEENSLAND' S GRANTS HAVE INCREASED
FROM $ 414 MILLION THIS YEAR TO $ 564 MILLION NEXT YEAR.
AND IF QUEENSLAND JOINED THE HOSPITAL SIDE OF MEDIBANK,
THE STATE WOULD GET AN EVEN BETTER DEAL WITH
HOSPITAL PATIENTS THE FIRST TO BENEFIT. DON DUNSTAN IS
A BONNY FIGHTER FOR HIS STATE, BUT HE DOESN'T GO ALONG0
WITH THIS STATE RIGHTS NONSENSE. HE'S JUST CALLED AN
ELECTION IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA OVER ANOTHER ISSUE INVOLVING
FINANCIAL AID FOR HIS STATE THE ISSUE OF RAILWAYS. HE'S
NOT PREPARED TO ALLOW A HANDFUL OF CONSERVATIVES IN THE UPPER
HOUSE TO BLOCK WHAT HE CALLS THE BEST FINANCIAL DEAL IN
THE STATE'S HISTORY." NOR IS HE PREPARED TO REJECT THE
BENEFITS OF MEDIBANK,
I THROUGHOUT THIS MEDIBANK ARGUMENT YOU
HEAR A GREAT DEAL OF NONSENSE ABOUT MY GOVERNMENT WANTING
TO TAKE OVER THE RUNNING OF STATE HOSPITALS, WE DON'T.
WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS RESTORE IN EVERY STATE THE
FREE HOSPITALS THAT EXISTED YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A TIME
WHEN EVERY STATE HAD FREE HOSPITALS BECAUSE THE
COMMONWEALTH AND STATE GOVERNMENTS WERE SHARING THE
COST, THAT WAS THE RESULT OF AGREEMENTS WITH THE STATES
MADE BY THE CHIFLEY LABOR GOVERNMENT IN 1947, THOSE
AGREEMENTS WERE BROKEN OFF IN THE 1950' s BY THE MENZIES
GOVERNMENT, WHEN THERE WAS A COUNTRY PARTY MINISTER
FOR HEALTH. THE TRAGEDY IS THAT SOME LIBERAL AND
COUNTRY PARTY POLITICIANS ARE STILL TRYING TO BLOCK
THIS SIMPLE, NECESSARY MEASURE, THEY'VE DESTROYED
ONE FREE HOSPITAL SCHEME. WE MUSTN'T LET THEM
DESTROY THIS ONE.
IT'S PLAIN TO SEE THAT MR BJELKE-PETERSEN
IS COMPLETELY AT ODDS WITH HIS TREASURER, HIS
JUSTICE MINISTER AND HIS HEALTH MINISTER OVER MEDIBANK.
HIS MINISTERS CAN SEE QUITE CLEARLY WHAT MEDIBANK WILL
MEAN , IN TERMS OF REAL BENEFITS FOR QUEENSLAND. THEY SEE
NOTHING SINISTER IN THE DEAL, NO HIDDEN STRINGS. THEY'RE
BEING MUCH MORE REALISTIC ABOUT THIS THAN THE PREMIER,
IT'S NOT SO LONG SINCE MR BJELKE-PETERSEN WAS FLYING TO
PERTH TO PATCH UP A SQUABBLE BETWEEN THE COALITION
PARTNERS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, BEFORE THAT HE WAS
TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE COALITION IN TASMANIA. IT'S 0
ABOUT TIME HE SET HIS OWN HOUSE IN ORDER. IT'S A
GREAT PITY HE CAN'T SETTLE THE SQUABBLE IN HIS OWN
COALITION A DISPUTE WHICH WILL PROVE VERY COSTLY AND
DAMAGING TO QUEENSLAND IF THE COUNTRY PARTY GETS ITS
WAY IN CABINET AND THE BENEFITS OF MEDIBANK ARE
DENIED TO THE QUEENSLAND PEOPLE, 0