THE carbon tax has caused energy bills at Mercy Hospitals to rise by more than $135,000, the state government has claimed.
The government has conducted a detailed analysis of hospital energy bills, incorporating carbon emissions and the carbon price, which found that Victorian hospitals paid an extra $6.7 million in energy costs in the first six months of the federal government’s carbon tax.
It found that 17 per cent of the energy costs of Mercy Hospitals – which operates Werribee Mercy and the Mercy Women’s hospital – could be attributed to the carbon tax. However, the Health Department was unable to say how much each hospital’s energy bills had increased since the tax was introduced last July.
Health Minister David Davis said the increased energy costs were having an impact on Mercy Hospitals’ ability to treat patients, as the organisation was having to direct funding to pay energy bills rather than for patient services.
But Prime Minister and Lalor MP Julia Gillard said Mercy Hospitals did not pay the carbon price and electricity price increases accounted for about 0.3 per cent of its costs. She said the federal government had increased funding to Victorian hospitals to cover the cost of the carbon tax.
Mr Davis claimed federal funding was not enough to help hospitals cover the rise in energy prices.
“The Victorian Coalition government wants our hospitals to spend their money on treating extra patients rather than an energy hike.”
