My view is that local communities have a far better idea of local needs and priorities than state governments. It makes sense for communities to be given direct input into managing their local hospitals through either the local councils or regional organisations of councils.

Local and regional hospital services should be nationally funded and co-ordinated and expertly informed in deciding which hospitals will offer specialist services.

Local communities will give feed-back to the national health care planners. Communities would manage hospitals within national guidelines and be held accountable to national performance standards. National recognition for excellence in hospital services as assessed by experts and patients should be part of the new vision for health care under a two-tier system.

The alternative is the relentless deterioration of already bad health care standards under our failed Federal system. The current system is costing lives and woefully inefficient. Throwing $2 Billion at the states is therefore a waste. How much of that money will actually end up addressing the key problems? Insufficient medical staff and hospital beds.

In Australia we are seeing more of the endemic problems associated with the Federal US health care system features in Michael Moore's documentary SICKO. Our health care system needs a major overhaul. Taking 6 state governments out will streamline health care delivery substantially.

I agree with Fiona and hope that a better model can be implemented soon.

What needs to be understood here and that many of our polititions completely disregard is something called the Australian Constitution.

That little thing that the states created and with approval by referendum from the people.

Kevin rudds says he will take, makes me all fuzzy.

Oh thats right he forgot to tell you about the constitution and that a referendum will be required.

Rudd all talk no policie, by the looks of the media no ministers as well.

Stuart Ulrich
Independent Candidate for Charlton

In Qld we have a Road Improvement component to our motor vehicle registration, but only part of it goes towards road improvement.
We have an ambulance levy added to our rates bill but ambulance services have not improved at all. (Some say it is, in fact, worsening.)
Country folk have a Rural Fire Service levy added to their rates yet my local fire fighting volunteers guys are no better off as far as equipment goes.
These illustrations are all that I am aware of, and there are undoubtedly more. Other states probably have their examples too.
Queensland has a reputation for taking money in for definite purposes and then creatively "consolidating revenueing" it, and this will happen when and if Mr Rudd throws hospital money at our state representatives.

nq, you'd think that ozzies would twig to the fact they don't live in a democracy, wouldn't you?

maybe they do, and are just too bone lazy to do anything about it. except whinge.

When the people decide for change demos it might happen but then again I will not hold my breath

Stuart Ulrich
Independent Candidate for Charlton

Demos: I afford you the benefit of the doubt that your remark about whinging was not intended to be against my post.

The short answer to this question is that no Government, Liberal, Labor, State or Federal has the intelligence, courage or will to undertake the brutal reforms needed to repair our health system.

The rot started waaaay back in the seventies when Gough Whitlam decided we had to have a "proper" socialist state-run medical system, a model which has been a money-eating inefficient monster everywhere it has been introduced. Pre-Gough, health insurance cost peanuts because almost everyone was a member. Once Medibank was introduced we quickly went down the British road of dropping private cover and clogging up emergency centres with the kind of minor ailments which should be dealt with by G.P.s.

I would bet that if you look at a pie graph of health spending you would find over half the money is wasted on administration. The only solution, and it would take a brave politician to do it, would be to completely destroy the Health bureaucracy. Get rid of all the chair-polishing pencil pushers at State and Federal level and their overpaid bosses and replace them with one central lean and mean administration. This would free up millions of dollars for the business end of health care, ie Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals.

It would work but it will never happen because most health decisions are made by the very bureaucrats whose gravy train would be derailed.