Women's and Children's Hospital

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister inform the house about changes to federal funding for the children's Palliative Care Service at the Women's and Children's Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:30): I thank the member for Taylor for this question; it has been of particular concern to her. I am very pleased to advise the house today that the future of the Women's and Children's Hospital Palliative Care Service has been secured by the government. Palliative care is one of a number of services that have been impacted by the loss of federal funding. The Women's and Children's Palliative Care Service is too important to South Australian families to be lost, and we will not put this at risk.

Currently, the state government contributes around half a million dollars a year to fund the service, and the federal government provides approximately $250,000 a year. The federal government's decision to cease their funding contribution to this service beyond December 2014 is nothing short of callous and heartless. The doctors and nurses at the Women's and Children's Hospital do a fantastic job caring for South Australian children who have a life-limiting illness. They provide care for our state's sickest children and support for their families during a very difficult time.

The Women's and Children's Hospital palliative care service provides care and support to around 80 children every year. The service provides care to children and their families at home and in hospital. Any uncertainty created by the federal government's decision to cease their funding to this program has only added more stress and worry for those families.

I am happy to advise the house that the state government has committed to fully funding this service. I hope this announcement relieves families and the community from any unnecessary worry about the service's future but, with the federal government's vicious cuts of more than $600 million from our state health budget over the next four years, the state government cannot commit to save every service affected by Tony Abbott tearing up the national agreement on health.