Abolishing Australia’s Preventative Health Agency – Triumph of Ideology over Evidence
We have seen not just the abolition of the health agency but a cut in investment in preventative health programs delivered by state governments, to the tune of almost $300 million. In addition, we have had a cut of almost $300 million in the funding for preventative health programs delivered at a state level—programs targeting smoking and obesity amongst young kids and programs working in tuck shops to give kids healthy choices around the sorts of products that are available to them.
All these programs have been cut. What do we have in their place? We have this crazy idea that says if you make it more expensive for people to get health care somehow that is good for the bottom line.
We are going to introduce a co-payment for people to go and see a doctor. We are going to introduce an additional co-payment for people to get medicines. We are going to introduce a co-payment for people to get X-rays or other forms of radiological procedure. This is ideology triumphing over evidence.