Health debate starts now, declares Rudd

Despite promising before the last election to fix the country's public hospitals,
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the real health debate is only starting now.
Both parties traded blows in parliament on Monday - but there was more bluster than
policy on offer.
Mr Rudd said the opposition was only raising the rhetoric on health to deflect
attention from former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull's criticism of the coalition's
climate change policy.
"Today is all about one thing - distraction with a capital D," the prime minister said.
Nevertheless, he hit back at Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's accusation that he'd
broken a 2007 election pledge to fix the health system by mid-2009 or move to take
control of hospitals.
"I welcome the beginning of the health and hospital debate," Mr Rudd said.
During the past two years the government had increased funding to the hospital
system by 50 per cent, he said.
Labor had boosted GP and nurse training places, and the number of aged care beds.
The government was also building 36 GP super clinics across the country.
But then came the comment which drew howls from the opposition.
"As for the future plan which will be put to the states very soon ... we will seek
to achieve a compromise with the states," the prime minister said.
"If the states and territories this year do not accept the reform proposals for the
future, the government will take this matter to the Australian people, as we have
previously committed."
Mr Abbott pounced, labelling the prime minister "courageous Kevin".
"He wants to be bold, he will be bold, it's just the states and the territories are
holding him back."
The prime minister was a life-long bureaucrat addicted to process, committees and
reviews, the opposition leader said.
If Mr Rudd couldn't keep his 2007 election promise, why should people believe
pledges he makes this year, Mr Abbott asked.
Earlier, the opposition leader defended the coalition's record in government.
"The federally-run parts of the health system - Medicare, the PBS, the aged care
system - were in good shape in November 2007," Mr Abbott told reporters.
"Go back and ask people in the system how things were then, ask them how things are
now, and I think many of them are wishing for the good old days."
But Mr Rudd told parliament that in the "good old days" Mr Abbott ripped $1 billion
out of public hospitals, froze doctor training places, did nothing about the nursing
shortage and axed the commonwealth dental program.
He also broke his own election promise by raising the Medicare safety net threshold
from 2006 due to a cost blow-out.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the government's health plan
would be put to a March meeting of commonwealth, state and territory leaders.
She insists if they don't play ball then a federal takeover of hospitals remains an
option.
Last year, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission recommended against a
federal takeover of hospitals.