Hospitals

The Government is providing record levels of funding for public hospitals.

Under the new agreement, NSW public hospitals will receive over $39.5 billion over the five years to 2024-25, delivering an additional $8.94 billion in funding compared to the previous 5 years. This is a funding increase of 29 per cent.

A new public hospital agreement will deliver more than $30 billion in additional funding between 2020-21 and 2024-25 — a 30 per cent increase over the previous five years. The National Health Agreement will deliver millions of additional hospital services for patients across Australia.

Medicare

Australians can be assured that funding for the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is guaranteed through the Government legislated Medicare Guarantee Fund.

For 2017-18, $34.4 billion has been credited to the Fund. A further credit of $35.3 billion will be made to meet estimated MBS and PBS expenditure for 2018-19.

Record Funding for the PBS

And following last year’s Budget, funding for Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS has been guaranteed in legislation.

This Budget includes an extra $1.4 billion for listings on the PBS, including medicines to treat spinal muscular atrophy, breast cancer, refractory multiple myeloma, and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, as well as a new medicine to prevent HIV.

Lifeline Australia will receive additional support as will funding for Mental Health Research, with $125 million over 10 years from the Medical Research Future Fund.

The Government will also provide $20.9 million to support parents and infants by funding tests for new conditions and ensure that debilitating conditions are picked up at the earliest opportunity.

Boosting Funding for Medical Research and Technologies

We are also committed to supporting medical research projects, new diagnostic tools, clinical trials of new drugs, scientific collaboration, and development of new medical technologies that can be sold overseas.

In particular, we will back Australian medical scientists through the largest single investment of the Medical Research Future Fund to date of $500 million over ten years for Australia to become a world leader in genomic research.

This is about building another strong and competitive industry in Australia that will generate income and jobs, from the white coats in the labs to the workers making new medical devices on the shop floor.

But it’s not just science and technology in the medical industry we’re supporting.

The Government will invest more than $2.4 billion in Australia’s public technology infrastructure. This includes supercomputers, world class satellite imagery, more accurate GPS across Australia, upgrading the Bureau of Meteorology’s technology platform, a national space agency and leading research in artificial intelligence.

Healthy and Active Australians

The Government is providing further support for Australians with mental illness, including providing $33.8 million to Lifeline Australia to enhance its telephone crisis services and funding for beyondblue and the Way Back Support Service.

The Government will provide $20.9 million to improve the health of women and children in their first 2,000 days of life.

Funding of $154.3 million will support Australians to take up healthier and more active lifestyles, including participating in community sport.