Barnett warns fed govt on health reform

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says he believes several states are prepared
to pull out of the national health reform agreement.
It is nearly six months since WA became the only state not to sign up to COAG's
national health reform agreement, spearheaded by then prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Mr Barnett has refused to give up a third of his state's GST revenue to fund the
national health and hospitals network.
On Tuesday, it appeared any agreement between the federal government and WA was as
unlikely as ever with the premier saying the proposal was becoming increasingly
unattractive.
"Well we haven't stopped talking to the Commonwealth over that but the more I see of
it the less attractive is that Commonwealth proposal," he told reporters.
Mr Barnett said he believed there were several states regretting the decision to
sign up to the national health reform agreement and "wouldn't be surprised if a few
pulled out".
He said the WA government was prepared to pay an equivalent amount of money that was
being asked for into a jointly administered fund.
But he said as he continued to talk to WA health professionals, the more flawed the
national health reform proposal appeared.
"All these schemes ... someone comes up with a grand idea of, 'Let's have a national
scheme'," Mr Barnett said.
"Which sounds terrific but a national scheme means it gets pitched at the level of
the worst performing state, that's the only way you can get all states to agree."
The premier said that under the agreement, WA would miss out on $80 million a year
which was not a "burning issue" when compared with the $6 billion a year the state
spent on public hospitals.