Federal Health Budget 2005-06
AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, said tonight that the Government has failed to adequately respond to the health needs of Indigenous Australians or the growing community problems around mental illness.
In its Budget Submission this year, the AMA set out a detailed and compelling case for new Indigenous Health funding of $400 million a year recurrent, and a minimum of $200 million a year recurrent of new funding for mental health programs and services.
"While acknowledging the Third World health profile of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with new money for some specific programs, the total money allocated is not nearly enough by a long shot," Dr Glasson said.
"The AMA welcomes the Healthy For Life program with its initiative for mothers and babies but this is only scratching the surface of the big tragic picture of Indigenous health in Australia in the 21st century.
"With a big Budget surplus of around $9 billion, the time was right for the Government to show Indigenous Australians they really care by improving their health services and quality of life.
"What we needed to see tonight was the start of the building of an overarching health infrastructure that covered physical and mental health, housing, sanitation, clean water and education in Indigenous communities.
"What we got instead was a small but welcome effort that will salve the Government's conscience for the short term while leaving the big solutions for somebody else another day."
Dr Glasson said the Government had failed to build on its mental health promises of the 2004 election.
"As the AMA's Mental Health Submission to the Senate shows, mental illness affects one in five Australians aged 18 or older, and will become a significant community problem as the population ages.
"The way to avoid a crisis is to fix it before it becomes a crisis. Unfortunately, after tonight's Budget, mental health remains filed under 'Imminent Crisis'."
Dr Glasson said the Government's failure to provide any funding or commitment to a long term care scheme for the severely disabled will place enormous pressure on the sustainability of the Medical Indemnity Reform package. The AMA estimated that $120 million would be needed in the first year of such a scheme.
Dr Glasson noted confirmation of the Government's decision to raise the thresholds for the Medicare Safety Net in the Budget.
"The fact that total savings are just $500 million over five years confirms the AMA's position that the decision was taken too soon without allowing an important policy to settle down.
"The Safety Net savings do not justify the pain caused to the poor, the chronically ill and young families."
Looking at other elements of the 2005-06 Federal Health Budget, the AMA welcomes the following:
- The establishment of the independent flu centre
- The Brain and Mind Research Institute
- $25 million over four years to tackle youth smoking
- The Strengthening Cancer Care initiative, including programs for women to quit smoking during pregnancy
- The funding boost for immunisation
- Establishment of the Human Genetics Advisory Committee
Dr Glasson said the Government had exhausted its big-ticket health announcements during the 2004 election campaign.
"We welcomed most of those policies and were confident of catch-up in areas of most health need - Indigenous health and mental health. On these issues, to say we are disappointed is an understatement."
The AMA will release a more detailed analysis of the Health Budget over the next couple of days.
10 May 2005
CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761
Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306