Training for 50,000 new health workers

By Maria Hawthorne

Up to 50,000 new frontline health workers will be trained in a plan to be put to today's COAG meeting in Adelaide.

Billed as one of the single biggest injections ever of workers into the health system, the 50,000 vocational training places will target areas of chronic shortages, including dental health, nursing and indigenous care.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will take the commitment to a health-dominated Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.

State and territory health ministers, as well as the COAG health and productivity working groups, will work with Skills Australia on how the places should be allocated, with Skills Australia to report back to the next COAG meeting in July.

Government sources said the plan would lay the foundations for delivering on Labor's long-term health reform agenda. It's one of several health initiatives to be considered at today's meeting.

A $158 million plan to pay the states to clear hospital wards of elderly people who should be in nursing homes will be finalised, as will a proposal for a national registration scheme for doctors and health workers.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said Labor was "absolutely committed" to the registration scheme, despite opposition from the Australian Medical Association (AMA).

COAG will also consider a range of anti-binge drinking proposals, including raising the drinking age and putting graphic cigarette-style warning labels on alcohol packages.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said she would encourage state leaders to tighten alcohol marketing and licensing laws before resorting to lifting the drinking age.

"Lifting the age from 18 to 21 is unworkable. It's too late to turn the clock back on that,'' she said. "I think we really need to look at the responsible use of alcohol ... the way we market it, the way we regulate it, the way that premises are licensed to sell it."

Reforming specific purpose payments - federal grants to states which are tied to specific outcomes - will also be on the agenda, as will Australia's bid to host the 2018 soccer world cup.

The federal Opposition wants the meeting to pull Victoria into line over the $10 billion rescue package for the Murray-Darling Basin, announced by the former Howard government. Victoria is the only Murray-Darling Basin state to not sign up to the plan.

Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne said COAG was the "perfect opportunity to bring Victoria to heel and get on with securing our water supply".

"Mr Rudd promised swift action on this issue and made claims that he'd be able to pull his state Labor colleagues into line, but all his rhetoric about acting in the national interest and ending the blame game appears to be just hot air," Mr Pyne said.

But Victorian Premier John Brumby said it was impossible to know if COAG could resolve the impasse. "Victoria's had a position which has been a long held position ... it is a complex issue," Mr Brumby said.

"We've got the best managed state in terms of water resources of any state, we've got the highest reliability of water, so we want to make sure that any plan going forward is one that doesn't disadvantage the state of Victoria."