Since the change of government, all sorts of people have been making pronouncements on what the Labor Government “must’ do. The Rudd Labor Government will not be much different from the previous Government: they might say different things, but when the realities of actually being in government hit home, they will do what they can do, and most of the grand promises will not be realised. Criticising from no-responsibility, safe opposition is very, very different from having the responsibility of actually having to do something.

In this instance, it’s what “must” be done about health. Compared with most other countries – including the richest country in the world, America – we Australians have a pretty good system; not perfect, but pretty damn good. Many Australians need to have a good look at the validity of their requirements of the health system.

Not surprisingly, the author jumps on the indigenous health bandwagon. As long as these people are living in remote communities and going their own way, no government is going to be able to help them with health or anything else. The cost alone prohibits it; commonsense dictates that remote aboriginal communities in these times are totally untenable, serving only as living museums to a lifestyle well out of sync with reality.

If a few dozen white people decided to go on the dole and live in a remote area where there were no services, they wouldn’t get any sympathy, or even a mention.

Matthew Dobson also seems to have a fascination for Minister Roxon. We don’t need to know anything about her,really. We have a quasi presidential system – as we did with the Coalition – and Kevin Rudd is the one to watch. Individual politicians, no matter where they sit on the benches, are becoming less and less important all the time

Good article. Can someone explain to me, politely, why the aborigines have a lower life expectancy etc than the rest of Australia? The have the right of access to the same medical facilties as any other Australian living outback, don't they? Does not or has not the governmnet spent $3 billion per year on the aboriginal communities, or is this a myth? I don't know the answers so would appreciate being given information rather than being condemned as an ignorant white colonialist etc etc.

Whats the point of this article? A vague bunch of platitudes going nowhere. Of course health is important.
And, almost on queue, as with any opinion writer we have the aboriginal issue, which immediately lifts the 'serious' level of the piece, without actually suggesting any solutions (getting rid of pointless settlements and stopping mythologizing these people might help).

medical practitioners in australia are a very privilege lot when it comes to earning an income , as professionals running a business anyone can turn up at their place of practice and see them, even when the patient does really need a consultation and the government will pay the full or part payment of the consultation, i believe about 80% of medical consultations are not really needed. most general practitioners do about on average, a 4 minute consultation ,the fastest way to get a patient out the door is to write out a prescription or write out a referral ,most consultations don't tackle lifestyle issues such as diet and excercises or wholistic issues because they take time and time is money, running a general medical practice is no different to any other business of getting paying people through the doors , a person with a serious dental problem such as severe pain or infection can't go to the dentist and get the dentist to bulk bill the government, the reason there is not enough specialist doctors is because in the past the medical association have purposely keep there numbers low so there is more demand than supply, there are some countries in the world where the supply of doctors does outstripped demand.I have never seem a poor doctor in australia .

Stalker alert!

I am sure Cuban life expectancy is not really the same as the US, it just seems that long because they are living in a God forsaken Communist egocracy.

Dobson, what the hell has the being "an Aries" got to do with anything. This and other comments about this public person well and truly puts you in the undesirable paparazzi league.