Healthcare reform in Australia and New Zealand over recent decades Part B - Australia

Often policy and institutional reform proposals, developed through experience and learning transfers from other jurisdictions, encounter many veto points/players before they can be implemented. When New Zealand elected members by a first-past-the post voting system in single member electorates to a unicameral parliament it was relatively easy for the majority party to legislate their reform proposals. However, if reform legislation is not supported by the electorate it can be reversed just as easily by an incoming government of a different ideological persuasion. The situation is different in Australia because it is a federation and restricted by its constitution. It also has a bicameral parliamentary system that makes it easy for veto players, with ideologies opposed to that of the government, to reject policy reform proposals before they can be legislated into law. Despite these difficulties, some significant health care policy reforms have been enacted in both Australia and New Zealand during recent decades.