National Health Reform

A Healthier Future for all Australians - Final Report June 2009

Chapter 3. Tackling major access and equity issues that affect health outcomes for people now

Ensuring that everybody can get access to effective and high quality health services is one of our most important priorities. Equity, or ‘fairness’ to use everyday language, is at the heart of the Australian health system, and is, indeed, a very strong part of the Australian social psyche. Many of our submissions were driven by a passionate advocacy of, and commitment to, improving access and equity in the Australian health system:

We strongly welcome the recent commitment by all Australian governments in the new National Health care Agreement that:

What we want to do is turn that aspirational principle into something real, measurable and achievable.⁹² To do this, we first start by putting forward our proposals for strengthening the universal basis of our health system. Next, we examine specific areas where the health care system is failing particular groups now, and present our recommendations to achieve better health outcomes for these people.

Finally, we canvass some changes that will build a real commitment to improving access and equity into our health system on an ongoing basis.

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⁸⁸Public Health Association South Australia Branch (2008), Submission 150 to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission: First Round Submissions.
⁸⁹Monash University Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (2008), Submission 419 to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission: First Round Submissions.
⁹⁰Catholic Health Australia (2008), Submission 57 to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission: First Round Submissions.
⁹¹Council of Australian Governments (2008), National Health care Agreement, at: http://www.coag.gov.au/intergov_agreements/federal_financial_relations/docs/IGA_FFR_ScheduleF_National_Health care_Agreement.rtf
⁹²Appendices G and H provide further detail on the specific steps to implement each of the major reforms, who should be accountable, how much it will cost and when it should be delivered.