*Coalition calls for the dedication of gaming licence revenue to rebuild hospitals, additional beds and medical equipment

*Time for real action instead of talk to meet health needs of Victorian families

Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Leader Ted Baillieu proposed the dedication of gaming licence revenue to significantly improve facilities in the Victorian public health system with additional hospital beds, new and improved health equipment, mental health facilities and the rebuilding and upgrading of hospitals.

Speaking at the Victorian Liberal Party State Council meeting in Melbourne, Mr Baillieu proposed the establishment of a $1 billion Health Infrastructure Fund to improve the future health facilities of our state.

Mr Baillieu called on John Brumby to direct proceeds from the sale of electronic gaming machine (EGM) licences, conservatively estimated at $1 billion, towards a Health Infrastructure Fund to start rebuilding Victoria’s rundown health system.

“I challenge John Brumby to tell Victorians what better purpose he has for these funds than rebuilding our struggling hospitals and health system,” Mr Baillieu said today.

Mr Baillieu said growth and demand into the future would place real pressure on health services and hospitals and required real action now instead of talk and empty promises.

“Victoria’s hospitals are in crisis and our health system is in decline. Much of this is because of John Brumby’s failure to invest for the future,” Mr Baillieu said.

“We now have the unique opportunity of a financial windfall provided by the EGM licence sale. These funds should be directed into health infrastructure.

“We have a unique opportunity to rebuild our health and hospital infrastructure.

“John Brumby has been posturing around Australia on health, while hospital infrastructure has been allowed to run down in Victoria. If the Premier is serious about rebuilding our hospital infrastructure he will not simply try to blame the Commonwealth, he will commit the huge windfall in state funds now becoming available to the rebuilding of our hospital and health infrastructure.

“In government, we will take any uncommitted proceeds of the sale of gaming licences and place them in the Health Infrastructure Fund.

“Failing infrastructure, a chronic shortage of hospital beds and a rapidly growing and ageing population mean that health services are struggling to meet the needs of Victorian families.

“As Victoria grows, so does the pressure on essential health services and our hospitals. But all we have from John Brumby is 11 years of talk and no action.

“The sale of these licences is a one-off opportunity to invest in significantly upgrading health facilities and equipment – an investment which is desperately needed by Victorian families and our growing population,” Mr Baillieu said.

Mr Baillieu said examples of the health improvements that could be funded by a $1 billion Health Infrastructure Fund included:

*more than 2,500 acute hospital beds; or

*more than 5,400 sub-acute beds; or

*upgrades and rebuilding of run down and neglected regional hospitals; or

*new mental health facilities; or

*new medical equipment, dialysis units and operating theatres; or

*new ambulances and station facilities and community health services.

“A Health Infrastructure Fund means we can start building now for the growth to come,” Mr Baillieu said.

“Public hospitals in Victoria would benefit from this fund, whether it is by way of additional beds, medical equipment, upgrades or reconstruction.

“This investment in health facilities and equipment for Victorian families would mean real action and outcomes instead of just talk.

“A Health Infrastructure Fund could allocate funds to regional and rural hospitals, community health services, mental health and dental health equipment and facilities based on demand, need, population growth and hard evidence from practitioners and experts.

“The Health Infrastructure Fund would operate in addition to ongoing annual contributions to hospital and health infrastructure from the State Budget and funding provided by the Commonwealth Government.

“In Victoria today, nearly 38,400 people are currently waiting on public lists for elective surgery, with countless more Victorians on hidden waiting lists.

“Time to treatment is growing alarmingly – when Labor was elected in 1999, a patient would wait an average of 35 days for semi-urgent surgery, but today that figure has blown out to 50 days.

“And according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Victoria can no longer claim to have the best-performing hospitals in Australia.

“Our emergency departments are overflowing with a record number of Victorians walking out rather than waiting hours for care, we have the lowest number of hospital beds per person of any state, hospital waiting lists have been systematically manipulated and we have the highest rate of unplanned patient re-admission in the nation.

“John Brumby has failed to plan for health and hospital services that are vital to cope with our needs, and he selectively hands out capital funding for health services from a pork barrel with no long-term planning for sustainable hospital resources and services.

“These funds would provide a dedicated additional funding stream to rebuild and secure our hospital and health system for the future.

“I call on John Brumby to take this opportunity and ensure gaming machine licence revenue is spent on much-needed health equipment and facilities,” Mr Baillieu said.