Council of Australian Governments Meeting, Brisbane
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met with Premiers, Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association, together with Treasurers for the 28th Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Brisbane.
The Prime Minister presented responses from the national health consultation, including community views expressed through the yourHealth website.
COAG agreed that national health reform would be a central priority for 2010.
COAG discussed the current pressures on Australia’s health care system, and emerging pressures including population ageing, health workforce constraints and increasing health costs driven by technology and the increasing burden of chronic disease.
COAG agreed that long-term health reform was required to deliver better services for patients, more efficient and safer hospitals, more responsive primary health care and an increased focus on preventative health.
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 Minister for Health and AgeingNicola Roxon talking about the National Health and Hospitals Network on Wednesday 3rd March 2010. |
 Youth views (public submission)Young people in Canberra were interviewed on their views about the Australian health system. Video was submitted by Senator Kate Lundy’s office. |
 DerekDerek says the reform process offers a great opportunity to free up emergency departments in hospitals by creating a special service to diagnose and treat older people who now come into emergency when something is wrong. |
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CloncurryThe Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon, held a roundtable discussion on health reform at Cloncurry in Northern Queensland on Wednesday 27 January 2010. |
ACTU MelbourneParliamentary Secretary Mark Butler hosted a health consultation on Thursday 28 January 2010 at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) offices in Melbourne. |
Mount Isa Base Hospital, Mount IsaOn Wednesday 27 January 2010, the Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon, held a health reform consultation at Mount Isa Base Hospital, in North Western Queensland. |
The implementation plan provides details of implementation activities over coming months and years, including timelines and major milestones to implement the major health reform agreed by COAG in April 2010.
On 19 and 20 April 2010, an historic agreement was reached by the Council of Australian Governments, except Western Australia, to the establishment of a National Health and Hospitals Network.