Julia is just using semantic double speak spin as she along with others haven't a clue what to do. It looks like she wants to privatise the system as well by stealth. More and more resources will be needed, but not for the old, but for the young as their health breaks down under the onslaught of dietary disease.

We need to tackle the easily surmountable problems of removing the causes of 90% of health situations. Once the causes are removed, so will our health costs. This won't happen for one glaring reason.

If the truth were told about our health, pharmaceutical companies would go broke, as they not only provide drugs to cover the symptoms, but they provide the additives and chemicals placed in our foods that cause the symptoms in the first place. As long as we have the dairy industry lying about the true effects of dairies on human health, there is no chance of change.

Our medical science is so advanced we can tackle just about any surgical or re constructive situation with success. Our traumatic medicine is state of the art. But they can't cure a cold, stop cancer, heart or vascular disease, collapsing joints or organ failures. All they can do is drug or replace the parts with temporary mechanic bits.

If we tackle the causes by concentrating on preventive medicine and lifestyle, we would have progress. But you see profits, money and control are more important than peoples health, as we can well see.

I am a staunch supporter of Julia, but her party will not change the status quo re health.
The PM in his using the ageing of the population, as a fear for future health funding is a nonsense, we have too many unhealthy young Australians now, if we just look at the age of type 2 diabetes sufferers as young as 9, which used to be around middle age. This is a reflection of gross negligence and shows up the lowering standards of health care and complete lack of preventing the rise, unnecessarily, of the health dollar.
This has happened in mainstream Australia, I hate to think what the situation is like for first Australians, who do not count in the minds of politicians who make the rules.
I disagree that rational economics should be paramount in health care and services, governments have a responsibility for the welfare of the people, democratic and responsible governments do not line the pockets of corporations.
The PM has dismantled our health services in order to pay for his khaki ambitions in our region and Iraq and Aphganistan.
On coming to power in 1996, the PM dismantled dental care, treating the mouth as unimportant in a persons general health.
He unfairly favours for profit, private health funds, by providing public money to them, to the tune of 2 billion dollars each year.
The PM's business first government, will never act in the interests of the Australian people, there is no hope for a fair health system.
I do not see the opposition under Beazley, ever turning back the clock to a health system where there were no waiting lists and everyone received first class health care.
We had it, it has been taken away, business mania will be the norm well into the future. Prevention is better than cure, so good health.

Apart from Sarah10's rant (why is it that Labor supporters cannot spell Afghanistan correctly by now?) there are some good observations so far on the health care system in Australia from other commentators.

While Julia Gillard is an anomaly on the left in Australia as she is one of a handful of Labor politicians who actually have some ideas (Rudd, Emerson, Tanner and Burke being the others), this is a very disappointing speech.

There is no substance to it, rather a "mash-up" of motherhood statements that leaves one wondering what Labor would actually do.

Julia Gillard as well should have been moved from this portfolio considering her responsibility for the disastrous "class-warfare" driven excuse for a health policy that Labor had last time.

The bottom line is one suspects (and hopes) the speech is more the product of a university student who has recently joined her staff than Julia herself.

Score: 4/10

Dear JULIA

Jesus said to Nicodemus (a prominent political figure of the day)

"you must be born again"........

He was of course referring to the spiritual conditon of Nicodemus (and all of us) from a heavenly perspective, but the radical change implied would suit the Labor Party well also.

I'm inclined to choose the Coalition as the best of a bad bunch, or more accurately, I'll choose that party which most reflects the values that seem important to me. (Economic Rationalism/Globalization NOT being among them)

Having said that, I would love to see a truly born again Labor.

It would have the following characteristics:

1/ Encourage women to return to homes and families and engage in home based work and business, rather than commuting. Or..shock horror, engage in family life/home management... wow.

-More babies
-Less stress
-Happier families
-Lower Household income, LOWER HOUSE PRICES and other items. (market forces)
-Less need for immigration.
-A more cohesive society.
-More productive men. (happier men are productive men)

2/ Dissassociate itself with the selfish vested interest of Unions.
-Immediately become relevant to MANY others in the Community who would not normally vote for them.

I can't possibly outline the whole new Labor character, but those are things I'd love to see.

The day Labor RIDS itself of union interference and agenda setting, is the day I will seriously consider voting for them.
At present, I see toooo many fingers in the pie, and don't like how immigration is used as a political opportunity.
Same goes for Indigenous communities. DON'T for goodness sake just go on about 'funding'.... The problems are much deeper than that. Employ some experienced anthropologists and put them to work in the most serious problem areas... get at the root of the problems. Most of all don't listen to RANIER on this forum...

Perhaps look at the difference between Aboriginals who have embraced Christ and those who have embraced Judas Priest and Metalica.....I'm sure you will observe some 'minor' differences .....

Heal the soul first, the body second.

Everyone must take more responsibility for the well being of themselves.The Socialists' state,to a large extent,has removed the survival component form our lives.Way before the evolution of the apes,survival of the fittest was our mentor who kept us constantly alert and prepared for changes in environment.Only in the last few thousand years have humans been able to change their environment and thus not have the discipline of survival to prevent social decay.

Without some form of discipline whether it be environmental of self imposed,our humanity with its' present genetic structure,will decay.We are witnessing this right now.

If we really want better lifestyles and more time to indulge ourselves,it is better that we as individuals,pay for that responsibility, since the wastefulness of Govt bureacracy and the avarice of the private system,will cost far more.

Out of the current 535 members of the Australian parliament in Canberra, more than 530, are followers of god.
36 accused of spouse abuse.
7 arrested for fraud.
19 accused of writing bad cheques.
117 directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
3 have done time for assault.
71, repeat, 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges.
8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits.
84 been arrested for drunk driving in the last year.

This same group of Idiots, are cranking out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line. If you believe anyone of them, even Julia, your a fool deserving more of what they are dishing up now. This is not health care, its economic exploitation, designed to prop up vested interests and economic growth.

Any sensible person would be taking control of their lives, using dietary regimes giving good health, not growing discomfort and illness. Caused by people lazily gorging themselves on sweetened rubbish.

I doubt any poltician would write anything, they just read what they're told to say and repeat it over and over. Gillards article spells that out very well, no substance just illusuiary spin. There's no one in any of the parties who has a brain capable of making positve policy, their just brain dead religious economic robots.