Public health and mental health advocates from Victoria have criticised the distribution of federal funding for healthcare across Australia and in Victoria as part of the 2022/23 federal budget announced on Mar. 29. “The Commonwealth Government has failed to deliver fairer funding to Victorian public hospitals and address workforce shortages at a critical moment during the pandemic,” read the statement released by the Victorian Health Association (VHA). CEO of VHA, Tom Symondson, said that COVID-19 had impacted Victoria more than any other state or territory and that more federal government support was needed to help its health system meet demand. Public hospital federal budgets for states and territories have increased from $25.6 billion (US$19.3 billion) in 2021/22 (pdf) to $28.1 billion (US$21.2 billion) in 2022/23 (pdf). However, Symondson said that it is not fair that the Federal Government will continue to contribute “much less than 50 percent” of costs to …
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