The evolution of Labor's health reform agenda: A preliminary assessment

One of the most prominent and popular commitments made during the 2007 federal election was the Labour Party's pledge to 'end the blame game' afflicting Australian federalism and to reform Australia's health system to meet demands of the 21st century. By early 2010 Labor's campaign commitment gave rise to the proposed National Health and Hospital Network which has now been superseded by an alternative national health reform package which won the preliminary support of State and Territory Premiers and Chief Ministers at a February 2011 Council of Australian Government (COAG) meeting. Given these developments this paper analyses the original NHHN proposal with a particular emphasis on evaluating its financial viability and whether it was likely to improve the efficiency of Australia's health system. The paper concludes with a preliminary assessment of the 'Gillard Model' and the likely implications of its alternative funding model.