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Speaker 1: Now, we learned earlier in the week a massive funding

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Speaker 1: boost for public hospitals, including here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: The Federal government investing one point seven billion dollars to

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Speaker 1: cut weight times in emergency departments and manage ramping. It

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Speaker 1: will see the Commonwealth's contribution to state run hospitals increase

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Speaker 1: by twelve percent to thirty four billion dollars. Now, the

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Speaker 1: Health Minister Mark Butler says the Northern Territory is going

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Speaker 1: to get the largest increase, and he said without intervention,

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Speaker 1: the Commonwealth share of funding for the Northern Territory public

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Speaker 1: hospitals will drop well below thirty percent, requiring the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory government to fund more than seventy percent of the

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Speaker 1: operating costs of arguably one of the most pressured public

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Speaker 1: hospital systems in the jurisdiction. Now, the Australian Medical Association's

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Speaker 1: NT branch president, doctor Robert Parker, who has been advocating

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Speaker 1: and pushing for an increase in our funding, joins me

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Speaker 1: on the line right now. Good morning to you, doctor Parker.

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Speaker 1: Now does this sky far enough?

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Speaker 2: Well, it's good news. I mean we've got to grab

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Speaker 2: what we can and it's an incredibly good recognition of

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Speaker 2: the substantial underfunding we've had for many years for funding

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Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory. And I mean, yeah, I mean,

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Speaker 2: I reflect on a couple of letters I've written. I

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Speaker 2: wrote a letter to Minister Hunt a few years ago

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Speaker 2: outlining our incredibly intensive into system was we were one

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Speaker 2: of the busiest hospital systems in Australia. And I reflect

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Speaker 2: on a further letter I wrote to Ministers Freedenberg and

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Speaker 2: Hunt before the current funding agreement to point out how

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Speaker 2: significantly underfunded the MP was and in respect to its

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Speaker 2: fair share of the health dollar in Australia. So it's

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Speaker 2: really good that this has been recognized. I mean, you

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Speaker 2: have to again reflect on what a real budget for

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Speaker 2: health is, and I mean the very unfortunate situation last

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Speaker 2: year where the then Chief Minister scolded the CEO of

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Speaker 2: the Health Department for overspend on the budget really reflected

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Speaker 2: the fact that there wasn't a sufficient budget to run

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Speaker 2: so the money that the Government had to add him

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Speaker 2: was a reflection of the real budget required to run

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Speaker 2: health in the Northern Territory. And you know, it's really

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Speaker 2: good that the Commonwealth recognized now that they need to

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Speaker 2: contribute their fair shared.

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Speaker 1: It's always a bit frustrating, doctor Parker that they seem

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Speaker 1: to recognize before a federal election rather than when it

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Speaker 1: is needed you know early, you know, much earlier in

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Speaker 1: saying that we all appreciate a funding boost no matter

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Speaker 1: when it comes. Does it sort of what's your understanding

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Speaker 1: of how it's going to roll out?

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Speaker 2: Well, again, it's just it's a bucket of money that comes.

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Speaker 2: Apparently there's the top up for this year and then

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Speaker 2: it's presuming that the Albany the government is re elected

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Speaker 2: and the further funding for next year. I mean, we're

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Speaker 2: hoping that Peter Dutton has also taking note of this

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Speaker 2: and certainly he continued his funding if the Conservative government elected.

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Speaker 2: But we're, yeah, we certain optimistic as funny will come.

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Speaker 1: What will it mean when it comes to that health

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Speaker 1: care delivery and trying to really minimize those wait times

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Speaker 1: and make sure that people are able to you know,

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Speaker 1: to see a specialist or to see someone at the

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Speaker 1: hospital when required.

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Speaker 2: Well, again, you sort of hope that the lights were

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Speaker 2: burning late at Menanda as the various bureaucracies there were

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Speaker 2: trying to work out, you know, with the funding coming,

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Speaker 2: how they would spend it. You certainly hope it'd be

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Speaker 2: devoted to assisting with the wait times. There are significant

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Speaker 2: other areas. It is a renal area and affected something

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Speaker 2: of very high rates of renal disease in the territory.

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Speaker 2: There's also the new Mental Health Unit and effect you

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Speaker 2: know fund funny perspective staffing of that unit so territorians

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Speaker 2: with the mental health issues can be looked after properly.

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Speaker 2: So there's a range of issues that the government probably

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Speaker 2: had to focus on how that money will be spent.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, doctor Parker. What's been the reaction from members of

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Speaker 1: the Australian Medical Association's Northern Territory branch. I mean people

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Speaker 1: fairly happy or are they? Is it sort of a

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Speaker 1: bit of a you know, wait and see how it

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Speaker 1: rolls out.

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Speaker 2: I think it's probably a wait and see or obviously

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Speaker 2: we've only got we've only got the ability to comment.

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Speaker 2: We haven't got the ability to do it to you

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Speaker 2: determine how any this money is being spent. But obviously

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Speaker 2: we'll be in discussion with the Chief Executive and the

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Speaker 2: Minister about our priorities for how the money should be spending.

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Speaker 2: But in the end of it's the government's decision.

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Speaker 1: Well, doctor Robert Parker, we always appreciate your time to

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Speaker 1: Fridays in a Row, mate, we might have to make

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Speaker 1: it a regular spot.

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Speaker 2: Well, Katie, I'm actually going to be standing again my

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Speaker 2: last year and you've probably got met April or May,

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Speaker 2: and then you're probably having your president after that.

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Speaker 1: Well, we'll make sure we go. We will. Good on

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Speaker 1: your Dr Parker, thanks so much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thank you