Health - an awful 'debate' and meaningless 'reforms'

With all that said let us look at some of the effects of the so-called reforms.

• There will be no end to cost-shifting. The state will still be responsible for up to 50% of agreed costs and the imperatives to cost-shift will be almost as great as ever.
• There will be no end to the blame game. The Commonwealth will claim that state and territory systems are not good enough, not robust enough and not efficient enough. The states and territories will deny this and say that the Commonwealth is heartless, is bleeding them dry and does not understand.

Conclusion

The states and territories surrendered their taxing powers in 1942, but kept their constitutional responsibility for the health system. Now the constitutional responsibility should be passed over to the Commonwealth. All funding and all control should be from one level of government. That would end cost-shifting and the "blame game".

But until that happens, waiting times will be just as long in emergency departments and surgical waiting lists will be just as long.