Tasmania needs a single funder - NOW

The Commonwealth’s failure to honour its commitments under the National Health Reform Agreement leaves Tasmania with a $673 million shortfall over five years.
 

This is not a technical oversight. It’s a clear signal that, for Canberra, Tasmanian health is a low priority except when votes are at stake.
 

Let’s be blunt: the current funding model is broken. It’s a patchwork of responsibilities, with the Federal Government and the State Government each blaming the other for shortfalls, and delays.
 

Meanwhile, patients are left waiting, staff are stretched to breaking point, and the system lurches from one crisis to the next.
 

The Federal Government’s focus on bulk billing incentives, urgent care clinics, and cost-shifting does nothing to address the real issues. These are distractions, not solutions, and their popularity is not an indictment of their success but rather shines a bright light on just how much investment is needed into general practice, that even the wrong model works.
 

Tasmania is not like the mainland States. Our population is smaller, older, and more regionally dispersed. We have unique health challenges, higher rates of chronic disease, mental health issues, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Our hospitals and clinics are often the only point of care for vast areas. When the system fails here, there is nowhere else to turn.
 

This makes Tasmania the perfect candidate for a single funder model. One level of government is responsible, accountable, and transparent. No more buck-passing, no more confusion over who pays for what, no more gaps for patients to fall through.
 

A single funder could plan, fund, and deliver health services based on need, not political convenience.
 

Right now, Tasmanians are paying the price for a system that rewards inaction.
 

Wait times are blowing out. Triage systems are stretched to their limits. Patients are left in limbo, sometimes for months, waiting for care or discharge.
 

With more than 100 Tasmanians currently stranded in hospital beds, medically fit for discharge but unable to access aged care or NDIS placements.
 

This is not just inefficient, it’s cruel. 
 

The truth is, we don’t even know the full scale of the funding shortfall.
 

Officials avoid the numbers because admitting the gap would force them to act.
 

There is no accountability at any level.
 

The Commonwealth’s interest in Tasmania is fleeting, limited to election cycles and media opportunities.
 

This year, Tasmanians got nothing but empty promises and another “sack of coal”.
 

Tasmania cannot afford to wait for the next election, the next budget, or the next round of blame-shifting.
 

We need a health system that works for Tasmanians, not for bureaucrats in Canberra.
 

The single funder model is not a radical idea; it’s common sense. It would mean one set of rules, one source of funding, and one point of accountability. It would allow for proper planning, investment, and innovation, tailored to Tasmania’s needs.
 

The Federal Government’s refusal to step up is not just a policy failure. It’s a moral failure.
 

Tasmanians deserve better and so do our dedicated health care workers who are caught up in the cross fire of funding deficit and health care delivery. We deserve a health system that puts patients first, not politics. We deserve transparency about what it will cost to meet demand and a commitment to meet that cost.
 

It’s time for Tasmania to lead. We should be the national pilot for a single-funder health system.
 

Let’s show the rest of the country what can be achieved when responsibility is clear, funding is secure, and the focus is on outcomes, not excuses.
 

The message to Canberra is simple: enough is enough. Honour your commitments. Fund Tasmanian health properly. Or get out of the way and let us build a system that works.
 

Tasmania’s health system is ready to operate under a single funded model. The only thing missing is the political will.>>>ENDS