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Monday, 22 August 2011
Page: 8771

Health

Mr CHEESEMAN (Corangamite) (15:04): Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What are the benefits that are flowing to Australians because of the government's health reforms? How have these benefits been received and what is the government's response?

Ms ROXON (Gellibrand—Minister for Health and Ageing) (15:05): I thank the member for Corangamite for his question. I appreciate that members on this side of the House are interested in how our health reforms are delivering. Unfortunately, it is two years since I have had a question from the shadow minister on health reform and this is despite the historic delivery that our government has been able to achieve through health reform. Seventy thousand extra elective surgeries and not a question from those opposite. An increase of 50 per cent in funding for hospitals and not a question from those opposite. The MyHospitals website and not a question from those opposite. Local hospital networks up and running in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT and now a long-term reform package to increase funding transparency, efficiency and beds.

Take the member for Corangamite's electorate as an example. Our health reform means that there are going to be five palliative care beds at Colac hospital and eight new subacute beds at Geelong Hospital. Our GP superclinic on the Bellarine Peninsula has been running for nearly one year, providing services and training staff in partnership with Deakin University. Medicare Locals are up and running in 19 communities, including the electorates of Corangamite and Corio. There is a new breast-care nurse working in the region and we have put nurse practitioners and midwife consultations onto the MBS for the first time as well as specialist telehealth consultations which can be accessed by all of rural and regional Australia if their specialist is in the city and not accessible to them. Throughout all of these reforms that are being delivered, not just in the electorate of Corangamite but across the country, we have not had one question on health reform from the opposition. For two years, the shadow minister has not thought it worthwhile to ask us one question. You have to ask: why is this? Is it because the Leader of the Opposition is so embarrassed about his history in this area that they just do not want to ask a question? Is it because the member for Dickson actually has not thought of a question that can be asked? Or perhaps he has no policies at all that he can raise with us to ask whether we would pursue them as part of our health reforms.

Let me also update the House on how some of our other health reforms are delivering benefits to the community. Our preventative health initiatives have seen drops in consumption of both alcopops and cigarettes. One of our most recent investments is making a real difference—that is, our GP after-hours phone line. I can now announce to the House that, just since 1 July this year, 20,000 services have been provided by that GP after-hours service. We have increased the number of GPs that can be trained across the country. The Leader of the Opposition had a cap of 600 GPs to be trained every year; since his time as health minister, we have another 475 extra GPs in training and we are going to increase that to 1,200. Again, in the member for Corangamite's electorate, there are six new trainees as GPs. This story is told across the country, whether you go to the electorates of our regional Independents, the electorates of the backbench on the other side or the electorates that we represent. Health reform is delivering to the community, and those opposite have not asked a question about it.