Question - Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate

Question

Number
839
Subject
Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate
(Health expenditure (hospital budget))
Asked by
Rattenbury, Shane
Directed to
Treasurer
Question asked on
05 February 2026
Answer due on
08 March 2026
Question asked
  1. Why was the hospital budgeted to cost $1.15 billion but ultimately cost $1.4 billion, given that the ACT Local Hospital Network and Canberra Health Services had a total appropriation of $1.495 billion,  that this is the single largest component of the ACT's total budget appropriation of $9.4 billion, and that it comprises 17 percent of the budget, as referenced in the 2024-25 Financial Year Consolidated Annual Financial Statements.
  2. Can the Minister list in percentage terms how the budgeted appropriation and total appropriation differed in all Australian states and territories for their Local Hospital Network, including an outline of how much as a proportion of each Australian state or territory budget is allocated to their Local Hospital Network.
  3. Can the Minister detail engagement with other state and territory treasuries on what role they are playing to contain cost increases in their hospital systems and the improvements ACT Treasury has implemented in response.
  4. How does the ACT's spending on hospitals as a proportion of jurisdictional income, that is Gross State Product (GSP) and Gross National Product (GNP), compare with other OECD countries.
  5. What is the rate of growth in the spending referred to in part (4) each year over the past five years and is the ACT Treasury predicting that it will continue.