Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged over $1.2 billion in added health funding at a meeting of state and territory political leaders.
The Government has said that the added funds would contribute towards better access to both doctors and nurses around Australia. He says the money would also help fund specialist services in rural health, mental health, cancer treatment as well as drug and alcohol treatment.
However, the Government has not yet revealed where exactly the money will be sourced from over the next four years. The expectation is that it will be funded by extra revenue generated by measures detailed in the mid-year Budget update.
The extra funding would be distributed along with the National Health Reform Agreement, a document outlining how the Government will fund health services around Australia.
However, this deal has yet to be signed by either the Queensland or Victorian Government.
Mr Morrison said that the extra money was “the tangible benefit of a strong economy” and that his Government was committed to “keeping our economy strong”.
Samantha Rigby