Government News Index
Health fund reports sealed: PM
AAP
17mar02
PRIME Minister John Howard has refused to make public two reports into former health minister Michael Wooldridge's allocation of $5 million to his current employer.
Mr Howard confirmed today he had received the reports from the departments of finance and administration and health and ageing.
The reports detail Dr Wooldridge's redirection of $5 million, originally allocated to asthma and rural health programs, to help fund the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP) GP House in Canberra.
Dr Wooldridge is now employed by the RACGP.
Mr Howard said he had also forwarded copies of the reports to Dr Wooldridge and former finance minister John Fahey but not to the public.
"At this stage it is premature to decide whether or not the two reports should be made public," he said.
Mr Howard said both reports would be made available to the auditor-general if he decided to conduct an inquiry into the redirection of monies.
The prime minister said he had stalled the funding for GP House but was yet to receive legal advice on whether he could withdraw the grant.
"I have given instructions that no further action is to be taken to process that contribution," Mr Howard said.
"It remains the case that the government's asthma and rural health promises will be fully funded."
The RACGP won the grant eight days before the federal election but RACGP president Paul Hemming said the college had not yet received any funding.
"No monies have yet flowed from the commonwealth to the college and no financial liability has yet been borne by the college," he said.
Dr Wooldridge indicated his intention to retire from politics before the election but denied the grant and his post-parliamentary job were in any way linked.