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Government health priorities

15 Nov 2016

Q. Thinking about the Health System where do you think the government’s top 3 funding priorities should lie?

  Total Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote other
Reducing emergency waiting lists 57% 27% 18% 12%   55% 60% 52% 56%
Building new public hospitals 32% 11% 10% 11%   38% 32% 20% 33%
Expanding access to free dental care 32% 10% 11% 11%   34% 29% 35% 31%
Subsidising more medicines under the PBS 32% 10% 11% 11%   31% 32% 23% 38%
Increasing the Medicare rebate 30% 10% 11% 9%   30% 34% 22% 22%
More resources for mental health 27% 9% 9% 9%   30% 22% 38% 29%
More investment in aged care facilities 27% 7% 9% 11%   27% 30% 21% 29%
Training more specialists 20% 3% 8% 9%   19% 20% 14% 21%
More public health campaigns to reduce demand 13% 3% 4% 6%   9% 14% 26% 12%
More resources for indigenous health 12% 4% 3% 5%   10% 10% 28% 6%
Expanding out of hours Medicare services (eg home visits) 11% 2% 5% 4%   11% 11% 11% 8%
Investing in capacity to deliver health services online 8% 3% 2% 3%   6% 7% 10% 12%

Top health priorities for the Government were reducing emergency waiting lists (57%), building new public hospitals (32%), expanding access to free dental care (32%) and subsidising more medicines under the PBS (32%).

Labor voters were more likely to prioritise building new public hospitals (38%).

Greens voters were more likely to prioritise more resources for mental health (38%), more resources for indigenous health (28%) and more public health campaigns to reduce demand (26%).

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