Taking health seriously:the Senate inquiry into public hospitals

Abstract

In July last year, the State and Territory leaders expressed concern over a health system under "unsustainable stress" and suggested that the Federal Government should sponsor a prolongedand detailed inquiry by the Productivity Commission. The Prime Minister rejected thesuggestion, and the Australian Senate therefore decided to conduct its own shorter inquiry.Submissions were invited late last year, and the Senate Community Affairs References Committeeis conducting hearings at the time of writing. The focus here is on my idiosyncratic impressionsof what has happened during the hearings on 11 November 1999 (Canberra), 23 February(Adelaide), 24 February (Darwin), 25 February (Perth), 21 March (Sydney), and 22 March(Brisbane). Transcripts of the hearings are available in Hansard (1999, 2000).