Ms O’CONNOR – It’s a feature of this state Budget that there’s these extensive areas of gap in the out-years. There’s been an extra investment for example in the diagnostic breast screening, but there seems to be an assumption that there won’t be the level of need that there is now or a greater need in 2028-29.
Apparently, we’ve finished ensuring that the Healthy Tasmania strategy is doing what it was intended to do –
CHAIR – Can I stop you, some of these things were picked up in other output groups.
Ms O’CONNOR – Sure. Thank you. There’s a holistic picture that we need to establish ‑
CHAIR – I can just ask you to focus on systems management rather than financial because we will ask questions about these later on.
Ms O’CONNOR – I understand that. I just don’t want there to be a different set of standards for me at the table. I’d like you to explain, minister, what the government’s plan is in those areas of need, given what we’ve just heard about the need to find savings in a portfolio that’s never been able to because the demand always increases, then the costs of meeting that demand always increase. What’s the plan, in the out years, and including for home and community care?
Mrs ARCHER – Thank you. I might ask the secretary to talk more globally as you are asking for in this question, but we can look at those individual types of examples as well, if you like, like preventative health and the change in the Preventive Health Strategy. I’ll just ask the secretary to make those.
Mr WEBSTER – I will start with the Healthy Tasmania strategy, we are doing the 20‑year preventive strategy. That will actually reset what we’re doing in this space. The Healthy Tasmania strategy has been a series of grant programs over the life of Healthy Tasmania, which is what this funding is for, the last year of those grant programs; but the Preventive Health Strategy, which the minister launched the consultation document for two days ago, we’re looking at the longer‑term strategy and how we actually do that in the long term. Healthy Tasmania is actually embedded within the Department of Health budget, so this one is the last year of the time‑limited grants for Healthy Tasmania.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, Mr Webster. I guess the question here is: in an agency that’s told us the level of savings it’s expected to deliver in this year, how do you rationally plan for what is going to be unmet need and increased levels of need? I’m glad to hear there’s extra work happening in preventative health, because we’ve never invested enough in that and that shows in our chronic disease outcomes; but how can you rationally expect to meet extra demand given that you’ve got to find savings?
Mrs ARCHER – As I said, health is demand‑driven and that fluctuates from time to time. What we have heard already today is really more around what I suppose you would call those administrative efficiencies. But at the same time as that – and I would use preventative health as an example – what we need to move towards is a reform in relation to the way that we address preventative health, for example: moving beyond – and they’ve been fantastic, the Healthy Tasmania grants have had measurable, evidence‑based results that have given us an evidence base to work off for the Preventive Health Strategy, which has also had a very high engagement from Tasmanians in the draft consultation that’s about to be released, but that is looking to move to a more whole‑of‑government approach to preventative health and actually having that focus, not just within the health budget, but also across portfolio areas as well; in much the same way, for example, as we would look to deliver on our Closing the Gap targets as well.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, minister. Given what the Treasurer’s really clear message was at the table this week, it’s going to be an enormous struggle for you as minister, and the agency you administer, to be able to come close to meeting demand, let alone investing in such things as a whole‑of‑government preventative health strategy. Have you had a chat with the Treasurer about the reality of the portfolio?
Mrs ARCHER – Look, I think the Treasurer understands that, and that’s reflected in the Budget continuing to heavily invest in Health, prioritise Health within the Tasmanian Budget. The secretary spoke earlier about the revenue side as well, and you would have heard me talking a bit recently about the National Health Reform Agreement, both in terms of maximising the revenue from the Commonwealth government but importantly, recognising that that is a reform agreement – the clue is in the name – and we would like to work more closely as part of these negotiations with the federal government around some of those reforms as well. Looking at these issues that we’re having with stranded patients, for example, how can we be working more closely together to overcome these challenges which are creating challenges within our system, both in terms of access to hospitals in that case and consequently meeting demand. Did you want to make some more comments?
Ms O’CONNOR – I’m quite comfortable with that answer. Minister, obviously one of the pressures on the system is in elective surgeries and we can see in the Budget there has been an extra investment in trying to clear that wait list to alleviate some of the suffering that it embodies. In a media release on 7 August this year about elective surgeries –
CHAIR – Can we do this under 2.1, which is admitted services?
Ms O’CONNOR – We can, but there’s a couple of questions I do need to pick up in the system –
CHAIR – I will go back to Sarah, and then come back to you.
Ms O’CONNOR – With respect, Sarah had a very long period of questioning before I was able to ask some questions, and there’s some I’d like to get through.
CHAIR – We will get through them.
Ms O’CONNOR – Again, a slightly different set of standards.
