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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (13 March) . . Page.. 1045 ..

MR CORBELL

$367 million per annum nationally. In the ACT, this would translate into an additional $3.9 million per annum-$3.9 million that we need for aged care in our community.

The effect of the shortage of aged care places is that older people are staying in hospital longer. This is not good care or quality of life for them, and it costs us more as a community. The number of older people staying in ACT hospitals for long periods, who would be more appropriately cared for elsewhere, increased by 72 per cent over the period 1998 to 2002.

To help address problems in aged care services, states and territories are asking the Commonwealth to ensure that its target for the number of places required for residential aged care is met. If the target is not met, then we are asking the Commonwealth to free-up the money to fund alternative care options such as transitional care, community-based care and home-based programs. States and territories, including the ACT, are also asking for flexibility in funding arrangements to develop new programs that span federal, state and territory responsibilities.

Mr Speaker, the other area of Commonwealth responsibility the states and territories believe needs to be addressed in the new AHCAs is general practice. The ACT is particularly hard hit in this area. We have the second lowest number of full-time equivalent GPs of any state or territory after the Northern Territory-and the numbers in the ACT are declining at a rate far higher than anywhere else in the nation.

We also have the lowest bulk-billing rate of any state or territory at 51.2 per cent, and this rate is falling rapidly. We are seeing the effect of this again in our hospitals and particularly in our emergency departments. We are seeing an increase in emergency department attendances for less urgent conditions as the number of GP services declines.

Since 1998-99, there has been a 15 per cent increase in the number of people with less urgent conditions attending emergency departments. At the same time, there has been a 9 per cent drop in the number of GP attendances. A survey of people with less urgent conditions waiting in our emergency departments, conducted by the ACT Division of General Practice early last year, found that 85 per cent would prefer to visit a GP for their condition, if one were available.

As part of the Australian Health Care Agreement negotiations, states and territories are asking that the Commonwealth improve access to general practice health care, through increasing the medical benefits schedule rebate for GP services. The ACT, along with all other states and territories, would also like to explore alternatives, such as grants to GPs in undersupplied areas to support their practices, and cashing out medical benefits schedule payments to provide better after-hours care.

If the Commonwealth does not take steps to alleviate the shortage of GPs, states and territories are asking that the Commonwealth give them-that is us-the ability to bulk-bill GP-type patients who present to emergency departments and charge the cost of their treatment back to the Commonwealth.

Members will be aware that the Commonwealth has invested heavily in raising private health insurance participation rates. The Commonwealth's investment in the private insurance 30 per cent tax rebate is now running at $2.3 billion annually. The claim from

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