Leaders to meet over hosptial shake-up

12 Mar 2010, 7:10 am   -   Source: AAP
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The government will begin putting its hard sell on the states to push its plan to overhaul the country's health system. (AAP)

The government will begin putting its hard sell on the states to push its plan to overhaul the country's health system. (AAP)

The government will begin putting its hard sell on the states to push its plan to overhaul the country's health system.

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The government will begin putting its hard sell on the states to push its plan to overhaul the country's health system.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has met New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally in Sydney to discuss the reforms.

Mr Rudd plans to speak with other premiers and chief ministers individually until April, when they meet in Canberra to talk about his proposal.

Meanwhile Health Minister Nicola Roxon and Treasurer Wayne Swan will also begin discussions with state counterparts in a bid to explain the overhaul.

However some premiers have already hit out against the reform, and are now calling on the PM to release details about the entire package.

Ms Keneally says she's concerned about parts of the proposal, and has previously written to Mr Rudd asking for more detail.

Victorian Premier John Brumby says his state can't consider the proposal until the Henry tax review is released.

He has also criticised Kevin Rudd's health shake-up for short changing elderly Australians.

In a speech to doctors on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd signalled the government is preparing to splash about cash in a bid to get states to agree to the reform plan before the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) meeting next month.

Under the plan, the Commonwealth will take $90 billion of the states' GST revenue over five years and gain control of hospital funding.

Mr Brumby said there was no way he could consider agreeing to the reform until the Rudd government releases the Henry tax review, which it has been sitting on since December.

"It needs to be released in the context of any discussions about health," Mr Brumby said on Thursday.

"It's impossible for us to sign up to an agreement on GST in four years time when we've got no idea what's in the Henry review, what taxes might be changed, what taxes might be taken from the states.

"We are not in a position to support the health plan as it's spelt out at the moment because there are just so many, so many, so many unknowns."
 

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