Ms HALL (2:45 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Is the minister aware of the chronic shortage of doctors on the Central Coast of New South Wales? Is he aware that it has forced many doctors to close their books and not accept new patients?

Mr Secker —What is your answer?

Ms HALL —Is the minister aware that this has resulted—

Mr Secker —Come on.

The SPEAKER —The member for Barker!

Ms HALL —Mr Speaker, would you like me to start again?

The SPEAKER —The member for Shortland has the call; she will start her question again.

Ms HALL —Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Is the minister aware that the chronic shortage of doctors on the Central Coast of New South Wales has forced many doctors to close their books and not accept new patients? Is the minister aware that this has resulted in a disability pensioner going three days without blood pressure medication because he could not get an appointment with a doctor and, when he finally saw a doctor, he had to fork out $45 for the visit; and a Central Coast resident being told that he would have to wait six months for an appointment at the local medical centre when he sought medical advice regarding a lump under his arm? When will the government adopt the Labor Party's policy that targets Medicare hotspots, like the Central Coast, with Medicare teams to provide bulk-billing services to Australian families?

The SPEAKER —The member for Shortland will be aware that the standing orders specifically restrict the capacity of any member to introduce argument, and the latter part of her question did that.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop —Mr Speaker, I was about to raise a point of order on the matter which you just drew to the member's attention.

The SPEAKER —Then may I ask the member for Mackellar why she sought the call?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop —Yes—

The SPEAKER —The member for Mackellar will resume her seat.

Mr ABBOTT (Minister for Health and Ageing) —I thank the member for Shortland for her question. I also thank the member for Mackellar for her excellent point of order. I am aware of some significant issues with the supply of doctors on the Central Coast of New South Wales, because the member for Dobell invited me up to the area just the other day to learn at first hand what some of these problems are. I am aware from discussions with doctors on the Central Coast that in some areas there has been a 40 per cent increase in population over the last couple of decades and, at the same time, a 20 per cent decline in the number of doctors. I am aware that there are significant problems on the Central Coast. I am fully aware of these matters.

As members opposite should know, the government has already taken significant steps to boost the medical work force: there are 234 additional medical student places per year for the next four years and there are 150 additional GP training places a year for the next four years. I want to make two points in response to the member for Shortland. The first is that I have more faith in the doctors on the Central Coast than she does and I do not believe that any of those Central Coast doctors would ever turn away any emergency patients. They would not turn away emergency patients; they would not turn away patients in real need. The final point is that we will not adopt Labor's policy because it will not work.