Progressing our vision for better health system

Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health

As a result of the strong leadership provided by Peter Gutwein over the past two years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tasmania is one of the safest places on the planet.

At all times throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter’s guiding principle has been the safety of Tasmanians. As a result – our vaccination rates are among the highest in the world and our hospitalisation rate is the second lowest in the country.

The Government has taken public health advice every single step of the way and we will continue to do so. With Peter’s leadership, Tasmanians came on a journey with us and pulled together in a way that we would not have imagined.

We have now welcomed Tasmanians home and visitors back and, as we transition to living with COVID, Tasmania is in an advantageous position, viewed globally as unique and safe with world leading environmental credentials and a strong, prosperous economy.

A strong economy enables more investment into areas that make a difference to the lives of Tasmanians, such as health.

As the strongest performing Treasurer Tasmania has ever seen, Peter recognised the importance of investing in a longer-term vision to deliver better access to health services in every region.

The 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget included a record $10.7 billion investment into health over four years, which was $900 million more than the previous year, and around $4 billion more than the Labor-Green Government in 2013.

While much of this funding has been targeted at immediate needs, such as reducing the elective surgery waitlist, opening more beds, and employing more staff, we are also firmly focused on planning for the future.

That’s why our plan forecasts investment of more than $1 billion over 10 years into critical health infrastructure, to ensure that generations of Tasmanians to come will be able to access care where and when they need it, regardless of where they live, while also helping to attract and retain staff in our major hospitals.

The Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) Masterplan, the recently completed Launceston General Hospital (LGH) Masterplan, and the North West Regional Hospital (NWRH) Masterplan, which is currently underway, inform our investment in modern health facilities to deliver improved patient amenity and increases capacity.

I note that it took a Liberal Government to deliver the first stage of the RHH Redevelopment, with the commissioning of the RHH K-Block – the state’s largest ever health infrastructure project, a project which Labor failed to lay one brick on.

Additionally, since coming to Government in 2014, we have employed more than 1,500 additional FTE health professionals. We have worked very hard to build up our nursing workforce, which over the last three financial years, has increased by nearly 600 FTE.

In contrast, when Labor and the Greens were last in government, they cut the Health budget by $500 million and sacked 287 nurses – the equivalent of one nurse a day for 9 months.

We also know that by providing specialist support in the community, we can increase the number or people receiving care closer to home.

That’s why our Government has been making a number of investments into community-based care, including:

*A GP After-Hours Support Initiative that makes it easier to access medical care closer to home;

*The Community Rapid Response Service which is a hospital avoidance service that offers responsive and high intensity intermediate management and treatment for people in the community with an acute illness, injury or an exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, who would otherwise need hospitalisation;

*The Rapid Access In-Reach Service that provides GPs and other primary care providers with quick access to specialists from the Tasmanian Health Service, to strengthen community care to people with chronic and complex needs; and

*A Hospital Avoidance Co-investment Fund which matches dollar for dollar capital upgrades to allow for improved after hours care.

Tasmanians chose the stability of a Liberal Government over three successive elections for good reason – you just can’t trust Labor when it comes to health.

I thank the Premier for his strong and stable leadership through the toughest of times over the past two years, and I look forward to seeing further progress across the health system as a result of his investment in a bold vision for Tasmania.

It has been a privilege to work alongside Peter, not only as Deputy Premier and Minister for health, but as a colleague over the past 20 years.

Tasmania is a better place because of his service.

/Public Release. View in full here.