Changes to Queensland Health non-recurrent funding
The Minister for Health Lawrence Springborg has released a list of changes to Queensland Health grants for the new financial year having reviewed the long list of allocations ending on or before June 30, 2012.
He said 303 grants were scheduled for expiry, including a large number providing services to reduce public demand on Queensland hospitals or support frontline service delivery. Of these, 119 were renewed at existing funding levels. Letters of notification to those organisations were being distributed.
He said the process of reviewing annual grants had been hampered by confused record-keeping that produced conflicting reports of departmental payments and allocations extending back over several years. He apologised to organisations waiting for news of the proposed changes, saying reductions in expenditure were necessary but that conflicting advice had delayed the process.
Letters had also been prepared to advise recipients whose grants status would change.
“As part of the process, allocations were divided between 202 groups given an expectation of further funding and 101 in receipt of limited one-off grants,” he said.
In the latter category, responsibility for 34 grants had been transferred away from Health as part of portfolio changes. All 67 one-off grants that remained within Queensland Health would expire on June 30.
The Minister said reductions in allocations would also apply to some groups expecting renewal in the new financial year. Of these, 59 would be given three months pro-rata funding while a further review of their financial support arrangements was carried out. This included a number of programs serving indigenous communities, where a more co-ordinated approach to service delivery would be sought.
The remainder (24) would be given a similarly-funded period to enable them to cease their state-funded activity.
A spreadsheet outlining these changes to Queensland Health grants for the 2012-13 financial year is online at https://www.facebook.com/QLDHealth
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Contact: Cameron Thompson 0407-585230