Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt dodged questions on Monday on whether the Commonwealth should intervene in the state government's apparent failure to distribute $1.6 billion in GST funding to the health system.
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Member for Clark Andrew Wilkie asked Mr Hunt about the claims - which were based on Martyn Goddard's 2018 report - that found health-related GST funding was being diverted to other priorities of the Tasmanian Government.
The report concluded that the shortfall totalled $1.6 billion, based on the state's expected health funding per capita, and based on need. The shortfall was backed-up by an AAP fact check.
Mr Hunt instead sought to highlight additional funding the Commonwealth was providing to Tasmania.
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"The answer to that question ... is that the overall Tasmanian funding which is informed by a variety of sources has increased from 25 per cent to 32 per cent," he said.
Mr Hunt said the Tasmanian spend on health as a proportion of its overall budget was the highest of any state or territory.
Mr Wilkie told Parliament that was beside the point, as the answer did not address the question around GST funding not being spent on health as expected from the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
He said the failure to address the issue made the federal government a "co-conspirator" in "swindling the Tasmanian community".
"The figures the minister cited in response to my question are completely irrelevant to the fact that the Tasmanian Government has been knowingly misusing GST money earmarked for health," Mr Wilkie said.
"This isn't the state government's money to use as it pleases - it's money meant for the Tasmanian people that comes specifically earmarked for health.
"For the state government to continue to divert this money from health and then crow about a budget surplus, when we have people dying due to lack of care and waiting hours in ambulances, or in the emergency department, is unforgivable."
Premier Will Hodgman was asked about the Goddard analysis in May.
He said the methodology and claims about GST were "unfounded" and that health spending was meeting demand.
"In fact our record demonstrates increased health funding since we've come into government," Mr Hodgman said.
"The GST is distributed to states in a way that allows us to invest more not only into health, but other essential services backed against our state investments."