‘People are dying!’: Neil Mitchell grills Scott Morrison over healthcare funding

Scott Morrison has brushed off suggestions the federal government could do more to help ease the crisis in Victoria’s healthcare system.

Victoria’s healthcare system is under significant strain, with ambulance services stretched to the limit, and patients dying while waiting to be seen in emergency rooms.

Neil Mitchell says “the system, according to the doctors and nurses, is broken and needs urgent funding”.

“Why can’t we simply negotiate a deal? This is all our bloody money and people are dying! We don’t care if its state or federal. Why can’t a deal be negotiated where you say ‘Ok, we’ll give you 50-50 but we increase the overall bill’?,” the 3AW Mornings host asked.

But Mr Morrison says if his government accepts an appeal from Mr Andrews to commit to funding public hospitals 50-50 with the states, it won’t make a difference to the care Victorians receive.

“It’s not clear the Victorian public would get anything more, because what we’re talking about is just the Commonwealth paying more and the state government paying less,” he told Neil Mitchell.

For years, the federal government has contributed 45 per cent of hospital funding. That figure rose to 50 per cent during the pandemic, but that arrangement is due to end in September.

The Prime Minister says the government has already increased what it’s spending on public hospitals across the country, with funding to rise from $27 billion in this budged to $32.7 billion in 2025-26.

“If the states had matched the increase in the funding we’ve been providing to public hospitals there would be even more money available,” Mr Morrison said.

NEIL MITCHELL: “So this dysfunctional system we’ve got, with people dying and people suffering, that is the fault of the state government, is it?”

SCOTT MORRISON: Well they run public hospitals.”

NEIL MITCHELL: “Not your job?”

SCOTT MORRISON: “No, that’s not fair Neil … our rate of increase in spending on public hospitals has outstripped all state governments across the country.”

Press PLAY below to hear Neil Mitchell grilling Scott Morrison on the situation in public hospitals

Press PLAY below to hear the interview in full