Two weeks into the election campaign and I feel punch drunk with all the parties’ promises for health. More GP clinics, more MRI scanners, more money for hospitals, promises to cut surgical waiting lists, more training places, more dental treatment … more, more, more.
It all sounds like a sales pitch and I am reminded of the words of advice I got from a sales manager when I used to work behind the counter of an electronics store.
“The customer doesn’t need much persuading. They just want to hear a few reasons to buy the product. It doesn’t really matter if what you say is true, they never bring stuff back.”
And that’s how it is with election commitments. Do we really expect Party A to cut waiting lists or Party B to get more doctors into the bush? Who ever looks back to the last election and calls the government to account for their promises?
At the 2004 Federal Election for example, Tony Abbott promised extra beds and extra doctors. Has anyone actually done an analysis to see whether we do have had more beds and more doctors over the last three years? Well the AMA’s report card on public hospitals last week didn’t look very good for anyone, at state or federal level.
Some commentators have suggested that we have an independent monitoring board to oversee whether election commitments are kept. I’d support that – but I wonder if it will really make a difference.
Politics is all about being seen to do something rather than actually doing anything. It’s a game of musical chairs in which the music never stops. Local politicians stand up and make a fuss about the need for more funding for local health services, knowing full well that there isn’t any more money available. But they get the kudos for fighting for their constituents.
The health department and State government say they want to do more but it’s not their fault and blame the Commonwealth. The federal health minister says he’s already allocated enough funding and the states have wasted it, and Treasury won’t give him any more. But then there’s an election coming up, and they suddenly find there’s enough to spare for tax cuts all round … and then after the election we hear again that public hospitals are running up deficits because of a shortfall in funding. It’s a circular process and you wonder why no politician ever tells the unpalatable truth that you can’t have low taxes and increased public spending.
