Ms MARINO (1:48 PM) —I have to ask the Labor government why it has recently taken measures that will seriously impact on the quality of health provided for my constituents in the electorate of Forrest. People in the medical sector and all of my constituents who are seeking medical assistance are extremely angry and concerned at Labor’s decision to withdraw the Greater Bunbury region from the District of Workforce Shortage register. We have serious and severe shortages of GPs in the south-west. Currently 28 GPs are being sought for the Greater Bunbury region. The ratio of 1,684 patients per GP is well above the national average of 1:1,100 patients per GP. The removal of the District of Workforce Shortage classification, and the fact that the average age of general practitioners serving in the area is the mid- to late-50s, means that the health services in the south-west of WA are under very serious pressure.

Doctor shortages and a lack of local health services are always of significance, and they are in my electorate. A local newspaper, the Bunbury Mail, recently carried the headline, ‘Doctor dilemma: local GPs threaten to quit under shortage strain.’ Given this, I am urging the Minister for Health and Ageing to answer some questions. I will be talking to her this afternoon on behalf of my constituents and I will be seriously requesting a return to the District of Workforce Shortage register for the Greater Bunbury region.