To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives assembled in Parliament.

The petition of certain electors of the Division of Pearce draws to the attention of the House, the shortage of doctors in the suburbs of Quinns Rocks, Merriwa, Clarkson, Ridgewood, Butler and Mindarie, in the state of Western Australia.

· The patient to doctor ratio for the abovementioned area, based on 2001 figures, is 2,234 patients to one doctor.

· According to figures released by the City of Wanneroo, the total population in the above areas was 25,490 in the year 2001, and the projected population will reach 37,611 by the year 2006.

· Based on these projections the patient to doctor ratio will reach 3,300 patients to one doctor by the year 2006, unless more doctors are recruited.

· The current patient to doctor ratio is much worse in the abovementioned suburbs, than in many rural areas, which are currently recognised by both the state and federal governments as `Areas of Unmet Medical Need'.

Your petitioners therefore request the House to support moves to classify the abovementioned areas as `An Area of Unmet Medical Need'.