Australia’s public health system has suffered years of underfunding from federal and state governments. This has led to increasing out of pocket costs, ballooning wait lists for surgery, and increased strain on hospital staff, which has only been made worse by the pandemic.
The Greens will fight to properly fund our public health system, making it genuinely free and universal so everyone can get the care they need.
- Fully fund Medicare and abolish out of pocket expenses, including for x-rays and radiology
- Clear public hospital surgery waiting lists with a one-off $875 million investment
- Invest $8 billion in more nurses and hospital beds at public hospitals by legislating equal 50/50 funding between the Commonwealth and states.
- Free up $59.4 billion to invest in the public health system by abolishing the private health insurance rebate and ending the handouts to big companies