Treasurer Joe Hockey has delivered the Abbott Government’s first budget, announcing higher taxes for the wealthy and on petrol, new fees to visit the doctor, tighter welfare rules and cuts to health and education spending.
ANU experts have responded, and discuss the budget and its implications for Australia.
Here are sections related to health and aged care. For the full article: http://news.anu.edu.au/2014/05/14/budget-201415-anu-experts-respond/
HEALTH AND MEDICINE
DR LIZ HANNA
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health
“The first federal budget from the Abbott government has demonstrated its ideology very clearly to the Australian public, which it did not do prior to the election. This government is apparently ideologically opposed to the health of Australians. The boost to medical research is a con job, thrown in as a sweetener, hoping Australia will swallow the nasty pill of the demise of Medicare. For decades, the Liberal-National Coalition has made repeated efforts to dismantle Medicare at every opportunity. This foot in the door, starting with a $7 co-payment, which they will no doubt increase over time, is yet another attack on a health system which remains the envy of the world.”
PROFESSOR SHARON FRIEL
Research School of Population Health
ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
“What has the majority of the Australian population done to deserve such a brutal cull of services, livelihoods, and for many people a sense of self-worth? The 2014 budget delivered by the Coalition government makes a mockery of the duty that any democratically elected government has to ensure that its citizens physiological and safety needs are met.
“Health inequities are produced (and prevented) by policies and actions within the health sector – a $7 co-payment for a visit to the doctor and increased cost of medicines will undoubtedly affect lower income groups more than others, thereby potentially resulting in higher mortality and morbidity for some and increasing costs and suffering.
“But the health and health equity effects of this budget go way beyond the health sector. Health and wellbeing is also strongly influenced by other policy areas such as education, employment, social protection, taxation and transport.
AGEING, AGED CARE
PROFESSOR HAL KENDIG
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health & Wellbeing
ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
“It is telling that the Department of Human Services did not mention aged care in its media releases though the budget outcomes statement did include residential and community care. In last year’s budget, just after the bipartisan passage of Living Longer, Living Better legislation, there were modest but short term allocations for re-structured aged care programs, in line with the important Caring for Older People report of the influential Productivity Commission. There were a few wins in this year’s budget – notably the Workforce Supplement funding has been welcomed by the aged care industry and Home Care Packages were brought forward – and aged care has largely been spared from the major cuts elsewhere in the budget.
“Major funding developments are largely left ‘between the lines’ for the future. Overall cuts in health funding, and severe restraint on State governments, have set the grounds for ongoing contention. There is the clear need for substantial resource increases to ensure adequacy of care, especially for people who do not have the means to contribute more of their own resources. The increase of accommodation charges is at the forefront of what can be expected to be more user funding in new means-testing arrangements.
“Aged care will surely emerge more prominently in the lead-up to the next election. This year’s modest allocations need to be appreciated in the context of the governments’ overall deficit reduction strategy.”
Source: http://news.anu.edu.au/2014/05/14/budget-201415-anu-experts-respond/