Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to continue my tribute to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Reverend John Flynn established the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Cloncurry in north-west Queensland through Frontier Services. I have got to say I admire his vision and his compassion, and it is that same vision and that same compassion that has been transferred for more than 80 years by, and lived at the heart and soul of, the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

I want to pay tribute, also, to the nurses and the doctors, and to the pilots who fly those aircraft. The doctors, nurses and pilots who are on call may be called at very short notice at any time of the day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide a magnificent mantle of safety that stretches across the length and breadth of this country. People—regardless of where they come from or their background—whoever they may be, have access in an emergency to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It is a magnificent service.

In my early days working on remote cattle stations, I used to wait for the Royal Flying Doctor Service to visit the station to give medical care and run clinics for the workers and the station staff. I saw firsthand the magnificent service of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Once again I pay tribute to all who have worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and also to all those communities who raise at least one-third of the money every year that is needed to run the Royal Flying Doctor Service. That money is raised by those remote communities. (Time expired)

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