Goods and Services Tax

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:33): Supplementary, sir: given the Premier has outlined to the house that the reason he would like a 50 per cent increase in the GST is because of spiralling health costs, can he outline to the house what the increases in health costs in South Australia are as a percentage of the gross state product or as a percentage of the state budget over the past five years?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:34): It is no secret that over the last 10 years our—

Mr Marshall: No, five years.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —well, over the last period of time—our health budget on average has grown I think about 8 per cent per year. I don't know what that is as a percentage of gross state product, but it has certainly outstripped the increase in revenues to the state, and it has meant that basically we have had to make savings in other areas of government in order to keep pace with healthcare costs.

This is not an issue which is unique to South Australia, in fact, it is not even an issue which is unique to public health care. Anyone who has private health insurance will know that their private health insurance premiums have also been increasing far greater than the rate of inflation. It is an issue that is faced by state and federal governments and, indeed, governments right around the world, but, as I say, it has certainly been far greater than the increase of revenues to the state. Certainly, the figure that comes to hand is, on average, I think, about 8 per cent per annum growth in healthcare costs over the last decade.