It isn’t the GST that should make the premiers fear the “thin end of the wedge”; the entire purpose of their existence is in question.
COAG
Remember us? We’re called nurses
Nurses are the people who will be critical to achieving health reform on the ground, since doctors aren’t alone in providing front-line health care, writes mental health nurse Kim Ryan.
Political snippets: Rudd will win health reform at COAG
There might be a minor grumble or two from a Premier pretending that the offer should have been more but Kevin Rudd will get his health reform victory. Plus, Rudd get the Obama tick of approval and other political tidbits.
Housing — the real arena for federal takeover
While health gets all the attention, housing policy is a critical Commonwealth-state issue that we must get right in the face of a growing population.
Political snippets: The PM’s Newspoll popularity contest
Prime Ministerial approval is at a new low, looking forward to the next COAG meeting, the four most sensible MPs in Australia and more political tidbits.
Wayne Swan gets Intergenerational
Treasurer Wayne Swan launched the latest Intergenerational Report at lunchtime. And, like its predecessor, it’s every bit as much about politics as it is about long-term economic trends.
Another missed opportunity for health reform
Systemic health problems don’t usually grab daily headlines, but the state of our national health system will nevertheless emerge as an important concern in the next national election, predicts Professior Ian Hickie.
COAG’s spinning its wheels in plans and press releases
COAG appears to have lost much of the reformist drive it has in its initial revival under Rudd. You can’t doubt Rudd’s ambitions, but it appears to be spinning its wheels in a mess of plans and press releases.
Health reform dithering risks a desperate and dateless government
COAG has reneged on its obligations to the Australian health sector, hastily concocting a “plan to make a plan” some time next year, writes Jennifer Doggett.
Health care journalists: time to bite the hand that feeds
Journalists in the US are demanding that the Food and Drug Administration become more open to genuine engagement with the media, writes Melissa Sweet.
Memo COAG: Forget ideology, concentrate on what patients need
It’s unfortunate that the debate about Medicare Select has turned into a battle, along ideological lines, between advocates for the public and private sectors, writes Jennifer Doggett.
Penington: Decisions loom for Australia’s public hospitals
Recommendations made by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission on to “fix” public hospitals will only make things worse and jeopardise the future of the medical profession, writes David Penington.
Can COAG deliver on health? History suggests not
The challenge now is for a national debate on the content and implications of the 123 recommendations, writes Robert Wells.
Murray-Darling: same mess it always was
In the first of a two-part series, Bernard Keane looks at just how little has changed — and how much has been spent — in the fight to save the Murray-Darling Basin.
The elephant in the child care reform strategy
Despite the Government already spending over $56M to fund child care and save centres, it refuses to look at how the current funding model made such collapses inevitable.
Closing the gap: let’s talk about things that work
Closing the Indigenous gap was never going to be easy, but the reception of the Productivity Commission report will unfortunately make it harder, writes Eva Cox.
Fred Chaney: COAG should not rush into closing the gap
The fundamental challenge for governments today is no different from the fundamental challenge we have faced over the last 30 years, how do we deliver on our good intentions? asks Fred Chaney.
Carbon footprint trigger sets off business alarm bells
A review of the Environmental Protection Act will suggest to COAG that any development proposal with a high carbon footprint should require federal approval. Business is concerned.
Future of clean energy jobs in Senate’s hands
It’s time politicians and big polluters stopped arguing or seeking excuses for inaction and got on with the job, writes John Connor.
Indigenous affairs money scattered but plentiful
In percentage terms, it’s still better than just about any other government has done before.
Murray River a toxic open drain – why don’t we care?
How did this become okay? Asks the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
The new “quiet revolution” in Indigenous affairs
One has to give credit where it is due. The Rudd government has quickly woken up to the fact that ‘closing the gap’ will not magically happen with business as usual, writes Professor Jon Altman.
Big Bang reform v Rudd, Mr 5%
The Rudd Government is a 5% government, focussed on the unglamorous world of regulatory harmonisation, better consumer information and greater efficiency of administration, writes Bernard Keane.
Should there be national registration for public health workers?
Australia is moving towards national registration for core health and medical professionals, but there are no safeguards regarding public health officials, writes Peter Sainsbury.
Hey Rudd, when you bribe someone, you should get something back
Yesterday at COAG Kevin Rudd’s “cooperative federalism” met old-style politics, and came off second best – along with the Murray-Darling Basin and, in particular, the immensely stressed lower reaches of the system in South Australia.
