A few months ago you couldn’t get the states to shut up about hospital funding. Now the NHRA is signed, it’s crickets and a roundabout of ‘not our problem’.
It’s been a mad week, readers. Bonkers. I got trapped in a bureaucratic Mobius strip of accountability, and I’m not sure I’m ever going to get out of it.
It all started with the National Efficient Price, one of the world’s most boring topics, I know.
From a health services perspective, however, it’s pretty bloody important, don’t you think? It does, after all, determine how much money the Commonwealth tips into public hospital funding – a topic that, until February’s signing of the latest National Health Reform Agreement, had flummoxed bureaucrats and politicians alike for a good 18 months of shouting at each other.
By the way, did you know that the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority is basically one person – the CEO, Professor Michael Pervan?
He is the Authority’s only permanent employee. About a dozen people are seconded from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s workforce as needed.
So, one exceptionally competent bloke and some no doubt talented ring-ins basically determine a huge slice of the health budget and a mind-blowing chunk of major policy. Wild.
That quirk of bureaucracy aside, you have to love data to love the NEP but its importance should not be downplayed just because it’s deadly dull.
Professor Pervan released the NEP26 this week – read the story here – and the bottom line is it is 2.2% higher than NEP25.
The states, of course, spent most of 2025 bitching and moaning very publicly about how the Commonwealth doesn’t contribute enough and how costs are outstripping funding. They’re not wrong, but they were serial pests all year long, throwing the federal government under the bus at every opportunity.
That’s why I decided to ask the states what they thought of the 2.2% increase – was it enough, and what did they think it should be if it wasn’t enough.
I fired off emails to the treasury departments of Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and BOOM! Within minutes I was sucked into the Vortex of Hell, the Bermuda Triangle of Transparency, the Dementors of Don’t Knows.
All three treasuries came back with “not our problem” responses.
“Health has been advised about your inquiry and should be contacting you,” said NSW Treasury.
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“We understand that Queensland Health is best placed to answer your inquiry. I have copied in their media team who will be able to assist,” said the Sunshine Staters.
Vic Treasury didn’t bother answering, but I did get this from DHHS:
“This has been forwarded to us at the Health department. We’ll work on something for you – aiming for COB.”
A couple of hours later I got a phone call from a lovely woman from Queensland Health’s media team who told me that it was going to take some time and a bit of legwork at her end, because nobody there was “really across” the NEP and she’d have to canvass a few departments to see who was best placed to answer my questions.
What?
A couple of months ago, you couldn’t get the state health departments and treasurers to shut up about public hospital funding. You literally couldn’t get them to talk about anything else.
So, what are we to glean from this Roundabout of Renunciation, this Carousel of Concealment, if you will.
- Treasury bureaucrats (or at least their media teams) are sick of talking about hospital funding and just could not be arsed?
- Health bureaucrats (or at least their media teams) have put the NHRA and associated accoutrements under the rug now it’s been signed?
- The shouty politicians – looking at you, Tim Nicholls – were very happy to yell talking points at Mark Butler, but have no clue about the actual mechanisms at play?
- Nobody in government ever wants to answer any questions about anything if it can be in any way delayed, avoided or obfuscated?
- All of the above.
I’m tipping E, to be honest.
I’m off to trim my roses. Totally not a euphemism.