"The Rudd government is failing in its responsibilities to Aboriginal Australians by failing to ensure the health facilities it provides to the Northern Territory government are accessible to all on the basis of need," said Australian Greens health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert today.

"It is simply not good enough that someone living just on the wrong side of a state or territory border should be denied access to facilities provided by our national government for the good of all Australian citizens."

"At a time of chronic health crisis, all Australians should be able to gain access to their nearest health service."

In the Senate today the government refused to answer two simple yes/no questions - whether interstate patients were able to access a commonwealth facility, and whether it had negotiated with the NT government that additional resources were provided on the basis of access to all.

"The Rudd government has failed to use the obvious mechanism of requiring equal access to commonwealth facilities. It should have made it clear to the NT government that additional resources would only be provided if it lifted the ban on interstate renal patients," said Senator Siewert.

The Commonwealth is providing $5.3 million over five years for additional Aboriginal renal services in the NT, and last week made a 2 port relocatable dialysis facility available in Alice Springs - providing potential places for an extra 8 renal patients. However cross-border patients such as Patrick Tjungurrayi (who together with fellow Papunya Tula artists raised $1 million for dialysis services in the NT) continue to be denied service.

"The Greens are calling on the Rudd government to immediately require the NT government to lift the ban."

"It is time they demonstrated their commitment to fundamental principle of universal access to healthcare on the basis of need," she concluded.

For more information or media inquiries, please call Tim Norton on 0418 401 180