Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're all keeping a really close eye on the budget.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Last night.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
I was keeping a really closei on it, just to
see if there was some funding in there when it
comes to health. Now, joining us live on the line
is the Minister for Health here in the Northern Territory,
Steve Edgington. Good morning to your minister.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good morning Cody, and good morning to all the listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Now, Minister, I was keeping a close eye on the budget.
I'm guessing you were probably going through it with a
fine tooth comb, looking at where and if there is
any money being spent, any additional when it comes to health.
We know that that obviously that agreement on the seven
hundred and forty one million dollars in funding for the
Northern Territory public hospitals was included, but we've already discussed
(00:41):
that previously. Was there anything else in it for the
NT health?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, looking at the budget, Cody, I was in Parliament
last night, so I was certainly at our staff combing
through the number of pages for the budget. But you
know the sad thing is Cody, that what we're seeing
is yes, we've signed a new health reform agreement earlier
this year. The Chief Minister signed that with the Prime
(01:09):
Minister to increase by roughly about a billion dollars over
five years. But what we have been advocating for for
quite some time now, in fact, very close to twelve months,
we've had a number of conversations with the federal government
we've been advocating for, Katie. We started off at thirty
five million, asking to thirty five million grant to contribute
(01:32):
to the upgrade of the maternity ward. From correspondence from
the federal government, we got asked to wind that down
to ten million dollars and that's what we did on
an expectation that we would receive ten million dollars to
assist in refurbishing our maternity ward here at the Royal
Dahen Hospital. Combing through that budget last night, it just
makes me angry, Katie, because there's no sign of the
(01:55):
ten million dollars. There was an expectation from our correspondence.
After winding down from thirty five to ten, there was
an expectation that ten million dollars would hopefully appear in
that budget. But Katie, all we could find was a
thirteen point six million dollar funding to a rugby league
club in New South Wales and you know when thirteen
(02:17):
points sticks to a rugby league club in New South
Wales but no ten million for a maternity ward in Darwen,
it's you know, this is sad news for the Northern territory.
And really, you know, where was Luke Gosling, Where was
Melandari McCarthy, Where was Marion Scrimmager. All of this has
been going on for twelve months. What we've heard from
(02:38):
the Member for Solomon over a number of weeks is
Winging complaining. I don't know how many times I suggested
that he should be out there advocating. He claims to
have some influence down in Canberra, but the result of
last night's budget just goes to show he doesn't have
the influence that he keeps telling that he does.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, look, we are going to catch up with Luke Gosling,
hopefully on show tomorrow morning, and speak a little bit
more about this. I would hope that our federal representatives
are actually as disappointed as I feel this morning that
we're not receiving that additional funding for our maternity services.
I mean I did speak to Senator Malandarry McCarthy earlier today.
(03:18):
She pointed to the fact that there is that additional
seven hundred and forty one million dollars in funding for
the Northern Territori's public hospitals. I mean, Minister, should that
funding actually include eleven or ten two maternity services? Should
you rejig the way that you're doing.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Things, Catie. There's a number of issues with the federal funding.
And look, we welcome the additional money this year through
the National Health Reform Agreement, but you know, we need
to make some very strong points around that funding, Katy,
because we're still the least funded out of all states
and territories in Australia. So when it comes to the
(03:57):
Commonwealth contribution rates, we are the lowest funded in Australia.
So yes, this sounds like good money over the next
five years, Katie, but we're still at the very bottom
when it comes to funding state and territory hospitals right
across the board. I've said many, many times that we're
still we're contributing two hundred million dollars out of our
(04:19):
budget to deliver what essentially are federal government services. I've
spoken about age care. We have up to eighty age
care patients in our hospital in a daily year, every
day in the Northern Territory. That's costing the territory forty
million dollars a year to deliver what's really a federal
responsibility to support our age care people across the Northern Territory.
(04:40):
I've spoken about the ninety five million dollars short that
we don't receive to deliver remote primary health care. Well,
i've spoken about aeromedical services. Patient retrieval services below Elliott
in the Northern Territory are funded by the Commonwealth through
the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In the top end, we're
(05:01):
spending anywhere between fifty one and fifty three million dollars
to fund CareFlight to deliver a service that should be
funded by the Commonwealth. So we're already behind the eight ball. Yes,
we welcomed the one billion dollars, but we're still two
hundred million short in other areas. And we were really
really hoping for that ten million dollars. And it's not
(05:21):
just us as government that the mothers that are expecting
to give birth, they were expecting the ten million dollars.
We wanted to use that money to do some very
important upgrades of the maternity ward here in Darwin because
we know that it's needed work for a number of years.
We know that between twenty sixteen and twenty four the
Labor government failed to invest in the maternity ward at
(05:44):
the Royal Darwin. We wanted to get that moving. That's
why we corresponded with the government to after a healthscope
closed closed their doors in June last year to deliver
private maternity services. The federal government gave money to the
cent Coast and Tasmania to assist with the delivery of
(06:04):
private maternity services. So here we are, twelve months down
the track, we still don't have any contribution from the
federal government.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Well look, and there are on flows of this situation
in terms of the private ward at the hospital, the
maternity private ward at the hospital, at the private hospital closing,
and also you know the pullback of those private the
private obstetricians actually operating in the Northern Territory. And we
(06:31):
did actually speak about one of these issues earlier in
the week to Tessa from Our Birth Our Choice, and
she'd spoken about the fact that even when we're looking
at sonographers, that there are not enough in the Northern Territory.
At the moment, some women are driving to Catherine to
be able to go and get their scans. Others are
going into state to get their scans. Like, I get
(06:52):
it that it's a federal government. You know that we
are relying on the federal government funding. But Steve, do
we need to take a closer look at this as well,
and even the Northern Territory government maybe look at sort
of rejigging some money so that you know, mums are
able to get those really important scans that are absolutely
essential to making sure that bubb is safe.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, So it comes to the sonographer and people traveling
to families traveling to Catherine that they're referrals for a
particular test at a particular stage of pregnancy. So those
referrals are coming from their GPS and their obstetricians. Those
(07:31):
particular tests are being done in Catherine. Some of those
tests can be done in Darwin, but some of those
tests are more specific, and people are traveling to Catherine
rather than waiting here in Darwin because what they are
are actually through private health and again getting bad points
(07:52):
to the.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Problem, though, doesn't it Like it's sort of points to
the broader issue that we've got at the moment, where
like you know, we're and look, I one hundred percent
of and I've been arguing this point this morning that
that eleven million dollars or ten million dollars we were
all expecting it for the maternity services. Are all certainly
hoping that we're going to see it. We didn't get it.
But I guess what I can gather, and I know
(08:13):
you and I have discussed this on numerous occasions, is
that we've got you know, we've got serious shortfalls at
the moment, it seems, according to mums in the territory
when it comes to the delivery of some of the
services that they need. So how do we you know, like,
how do we get there now? If we're not able
to get that federal funding.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Well, these are the things, Katie. We need to go
back and look at the federal funding agreement to one
of the things that we need to work through a
number of pages and addendums and appendixes of the National
Health Reform Agreement. Can any of that money be used
for infrastructure? A lot of that money, yes, through my
general understanding, is operational money. But there's a lot of
(08:54):
clauses in there. We need to go back. So there's
a lot of work that we need to do now
to go back to see what can be done in
the Northern Territory when it comes to private maternity. We
are meeting with the Health Scope very shortly to talk
about the future of maternity services here in Darwin. We
said right from the very outset when they closed the doors,
(09:16):
yes we did step in and we've provided those home
packages and we've made opportunity, created opportunities for people to
stay in our hotel here in Darwin two more comfortable
after giving birth. But there's a lot of work that
needs to be done in maternity and that's why we're
fighting to have many private maternity return to Darwin. So
(09:37):
we are meeting with Healthscope very soon. We want to
get some very clear idea what the intention of not
just Healthscope. But what we do know is that after
talking to the receivers, Healthscope is obviously being restructured. The
latest information we had was that that would move to
a not a charitable not for profit status and that
(09:59):
in a whole restructure of that organization. So there is
some work to do. We need to meet with Healthscope
very shortly and will work through what can be done
to restore private maternity services in Darwin. But what we
do want to do, Katie is we want to upgrade
the maternity ward, the public maternity ward at the Royal
(10:20):
Dalen Hospital, and that's why we're going to go back.
We're going to have to work through because we've we've
been waiting twelve months. So we've gone ahead with an
expectation that this ten million dollars would come from the
federal government. We've committed all of our infrastructure budget through health.
What we need to do now is go back and
see how we can rejig our own budget and see
(10:41):
whether there's any money left in there that we can
contribute to Mattorney. So there's we've got a lot of
investigation we need to do.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
It may be that the Northern Territory government funds it themselves,
that you guys fund it yourselves with our Northern Territory budget.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
We need to go back and have a look at
all of that. Because our budget was set. We delivered
our budge here in the Northern Territory last week, so
we need to look at all of those commitments. Is
there something that can be changed? Is there something in
the National Health Reform Agreement that we can use some
of that money for. These are the questions that we
don't have punts Is to today, Kadi. Today is about
(11:15):
expressing our absolute disappointment that there's no ten million dollars
there and no, I agree.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Hey, look, I've just got a really quick one for you,
and I know you've got to get into Parliament and
I've got to get to the news. But forty seven
million dollars. Doctor john's Orbis joined us a little bit
earlier on the show. He said that he could see
that figure in the budget as he was combing through it.
He wasn't sure if it was new money for healthcare
in remote communities or whether it was sort of money
(11:41):
that has already been Emma, do you know.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I don't have the immediate answer that Katie John has
sent that information. I'm going back through the budget papers
and getting some answers to that. But just to make
the point again, when it comes to remote primary health
care at the moment, ninety five million dollars short from
the federal government when it comes to delivering those services.
(12:06):
So some very good points that doctor Zorbis has raised.
We're working through those and I'll have some answers for
him today.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
All right, Well, no doubt, we'll talk to you again
very soon. I'm sure Minister for Health Steve Edgington really
appreciate having a chat with you this morning.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Thank you, Katie, and good morning to everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Thanks so much.
We're all keeping a really close eye on the budget.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Last night.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
I was keeping a really closei on it, just to
see if there was some funding in there when it
comes to health. Now, joining us live on the line
is the Minister for Health here in the Northern Territory,
Steve Edgington. Good morning to your minister.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good morning Cody, and good morning to all the listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Now, Minister, I was keeping a close eye on the budget.
I'm guessing you were probably going through it with a
fine tooth comb, looking at where and if there is
any money being spent, any additional when it comes to health.
We know that that obviously that agreement on the seven
hundred and forty one million dollars in funding for the
Northern Territory public hospitals was included, but we've already discussed
(00:41):
that previously. Was there anything else in it for the
NT health?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, looking at the budget, Cody, I was in Parliament
last night, so I was certainly at our staff combing
through the number of pages for the budget. But you
know the sad thing is Cody, that what we're seeing
is yes, we've signed a new health reform agreement earlier
this year. The Chief Minister signed that with the Prime
(01:09):
Minister to increase by roughly about a billion dollars over
five years. But what we have been advocating for for
quite some time now, in fact, very close to twelve months,
we've had a number of conversations with the federal government
we've been advocating for, Katie. We started off at thirty
five million, asking to thirty five million grant to contribute
(01:32):
to the upgrade of the maternity ward. From correspondence from
the federal government, we got asked to wind that down
to ten million dollars and that's what we did on
an expectation that we would receive ten million dollars to
assist in refurbishing our maternity ward here at the Royal
Dahen Hospital. Combing through that budget last night, it just
makes me angry, Katie, because there's no sign of the
(01:55):
ten million dollars. There was an expectation from our correspondence.
After winding down from thirty five to ten, there was
an expectation that ten million dollars would hopefully appear in
that budget. But Katie, all we could find was a
thirteen point six million dollar funding to a rugby league
club in New South Wales and you know when thirteen
(02:17):
points sticks to a rugby league club in New South
Wales but no ten million for a maternity ward in Darwen,
it's you know, this is sad news for the Northern territory.
And really, you know, where was Luke Gosling, Where was
Melandari McCarthy, Where was Marion Scrimmager. All of this has
been going on for twelve months. What we've heard from
(02:38):
the Member for Solomon over a number of weeks is
Winging complaining. I don't know how many times I suggested
that he should be out there advocating. He claims to
have some influence down in Canberra, but the result of
last night's budget just goes to show he doesn't have
the influence that he keeps telling that he does.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, look, we are going to catch up with Luke Gosling,
hopefully on show tomorrow morning, and speak a little bit
more about this. I would hope that our federal representatives
are actually as disappointed as I feel this morning that
we're not receiving that additional funding for our maternity services.
I mean I did speak to Senator Malandarry McCarthy earlier today.
(03:18):
She pointed to the fact that there is that additional
seven hundred and forty one million dollars in funding for
the Northern Territori's public hospitals. I mean, Minister, should that
funding actually include eleven or ten two maternity services? Should
you rejig the way that you're doing.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Things, Catie. There's a number of issues with the federal funding.
And look, we welcome the additional money this year through
the National Health Reform Agreement, but you know, we need
to make some very strong points around that funding, Katy,
because we're still the least funded out of all states
and territories in Australia. So when it comes to the
(03:57):
Commonwealth contribution rates, we are the lowest funded in Australia.
So yes, this sounds like good money over the next
five years, Katie, but we're still at the very bottom
when it comes to funding state and territory hospitals right
across the board. I've said many, many times that we're
still we're contributing two hundred million dollars out of our
(04:19):
budget to deliver what essentially are federal government services. I've
spoken about age care. We have up to eighty age
care patients in our hospital in a daily year, every
day in the Northern Territory. That's costing the territory forty
million dollars a year to deliver what's really a federal
responsibility to support our age care people across the Northern Territory.
(04:40):
I've spoken about the ninety five million dollars short that
we don't receive to deliver remote primary health care. Well,
i've spoken about aeromedical services. Patient retrieval services below Elliott
in the Northern Territory are funded by the Commonwealth through
the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In the top end, we're
(05:01):
spending anywhere between fifty one and fifty three million dollars
to fund CareFlight to deliver a service that should be
funded by the Commonwealth. So we're already behind the eight ball. Yes,
we welcomed the one billion dollars, but we're still two
hundred million short in other areas. And we were really
really hoping for that ten million dollars. And it's not
(05:21):
just us as government that the mothers that are expecting
to give birth, they were expecting the ten million dollars.
We wanted to use that money to do some very
important upgrades of the maternity ward here in Darwin because
we know that it's needed work for a number of years.
We know that between twenty sixteen and twenty four the
Labor government failed to invest in the maternity ward at
(05:44):
the Royal Darwin. We wanted to get that moving. That's
why we corresponded with the government to after a healthscope
closed closed their doors in June last year to deliver
private maternity services. The federal government gave money to the
cent Coast and Tasmania to assist with the delivery of
(06:04):
private maternity services. So here we are, twelve months down
the track, we still don't have any contribution from the
federal government.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Well look, and there are on flows of this situation
in terms of the private ward at the hospital, the
maternity private ward at the hospital, at the private hospital closing,
and also you know the pullback of those private the
private obstetricians actually operating in the Northern Territory. And we
(06:31):
did actually speak about one of these issues earlier in
the week to Tessa from Our Birth Our Choice, and
she'd spoken about the fact that even when we're looking
at sonographers, that there are not enough in the Northern Territory.
At the moment, some women are driving to Catherine to
be able to go and get their scans. Others are
going into state to get their scans. Like, I get
(06:52):
it that it's a federal government. You know that we
are relying on the federal government funding. But Steve, do
we need to take a closer look at this as well,
and even the Northern Territory government maybe look at sort
of rejigging some money so that you know, mums are
able to get those really important scans that are absolutely
essential to making sure that bubb is safe.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, So it comes to the sonographer and people traveling
to families traveling to Catherine that they're referrals for a
particular test at a particular stage of pregnancy. So those
referrals are coming from their GPS and their obstetricians. Those
(07:31):
particular tests are being done in Catherine. Some of those
tests can be done in Darwin, but some of those
tests are more specific, and people are traveling to Catherine
rather than waiting here in Darwin because what they are
are actually through private health and again getting bad points
(07:52):
to the.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Problem, though, doesn't it Like it's sort of points to
the broader issue that we've got at the moment, where
like you know, we're and look, I one hundred percent
of and I've been arguing this point this morning that
that eleven million dollars or ten million dollars we were
all expecting it for the maternity services. Are all certainly
hoping that we're going to see it. We didn't get it.
But I guess what I can gather, and I know
(08:13):
you and I have discussed this on numerous occasions, is
that we've got you know, we've got serious shortfalls at
the moment, it seems, according to mums in the territory
when it comes to the delivery of some of the
services that they need. So how do we you know, like,
how do we get there now? If we're not able
to get that federal funding.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Well, these are the things, Katie. We need to go
back and look at the federal funding agreement to one
of the things that we need to work through a
number of pages and addendums and appendixes of the National
Health Reform Agreement. Can any of that money be used
for infrastructure? A lot of that money, yes, through my
general understanding, is operational money. But there's a lot of
(08:54):
clauses in there. We need to go back. So there's
a lot of work that we need to do now
to go back to see what can be done in
the Northern Territory when it comes to private maternity. We
are meeting with the Health Scope very shortly to talk
about the future of maternity services here in Darwin. We
said right from the very outset when they closed the doors,
(09:16):
yes we did step in and we've provided those home
packages and we've made opportunity, created opportunities for people to
stay in our hotel here in Darwin two more comfortable
after giving birth. But there's a lot of work that
needs to be done in maternity and that's why we're
fighting to have many private maternity return to Darwin. So
(09:37):
we are meeting with Healthscope very soon. We want to
get some very clear idea what the intention of not
just Healthscope. But what we do know is that after
talking to the receivers, Healthscope is obviously being restructured. The
latest information we had was that that would move to
a not a charitable not for profit status and that
(09:59):
in a whole restructure of that organization. So there is
some work to do. We need to meet with Healthscope
very shortly and will work through what can be done
to restore private maternity services in Darwin. But what we
do want to do, Katie is we want to upgrade
the maternity ward, the public maternity ward at the Royal
(10:20):
Dalen Hospital, and that's why we're going to go back.
We're going to have to work through because we've we've
been waiting twelve months. So we've gone ahead with an
expectation that this ten million dollars would come from the
federal government. We've committed all of our infrastructure budget through health.
What we need to do now is go back and
see how we can rejig our own budget and see
(10:41):
whether there's any money left in there that we can
contribute to Mattorney. So there's we've got a lot of
investigation we need to do.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
It may be that the Northern Territory government funds it themselves,
that you guys fund it yourselves with our Northern Territory budget.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
We need to go back and have a look at
all of that. Because our budget was set. We delivered
our budge here in the Northern Territory last week, so
we need to look at all of those commitments. Is
there something that can be changed? Is there something in
the National Health Reform Agreement that we can use some
of that money for. These are the questions that we
don't have punts Is to today, Kadi. Today is about
(11:15):
expressing our absolute disappointment that there's no ten million dollars
there and no, I agree.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Hey, look, I've just got a really quick one for you,
and I know you've got to get into Parliament and
I've got to get to the news. But forty seven
million dollars. Doctor john's Orbis joined us a little bit
earlier on the show. He said that he could see
that figure in the budget as he was combing through it.
He wasn't sure if it was new money for healthcare
in remote communities or whether it was sort of money
(11:41):
that has already been Emma, do you know.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I don't have the immediate answer that Katie John has
sent that information. I'm going back through the budget papers
and getting some answers to that. But just to make
the point again, when it comes to remote primary health
care at the moment, ninety five million dollars short from
the federal government when it comes to delivering those services.
(12:06):
So some very good points that doctor Zorbis has raised.
We're working through those and I'll have some answers for
him today.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
All right, Well, no doubt, we'll talk to you again
very soon. I'm sure Minister for Health Steve Edgington really
appreciate having a chat with you this morning.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Thank you, Katie, and good morning to everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Thanks so much.
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