Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

This is an opportunity to reaffirm some discussions that have already been had and also to put some views, particularly on the health reform process. I would like some feedback on the post-COAG changes to the pre-COAG organisational chart. In particular, New South Wales has concerns with regard to the state funding pool and how that is going to work in the distribution of funds to high-growth regions, which traditionally have copped the brunt of state funding authorities delivering inequity through their resource distribution formulas.

There is a great deal of concern in the regions about this new state funding pool—how much discretion it will have and whether the Commonwealth is going to tie its hands in delivering equity and fairness for all. As well, in the structure and the delivery of the health reform agenda there is concern in the community sector about where they sit in the funding streams that come down. My understanding is that the health and hospital structure has its own funding, the primary healthcare structure has its own funding and aged care will at the moment sit separately. But I am unclear on where the community sector sits—the whole range, from Meals on Wheels and the like. There is nervousness in New South Wales about where they will sit in the new health reform. If you can give any information on that front it would be fantastic.

As well, this is an opportunity at a local level to reaffirm issues around boundaries. I spoke to the New South Wales health minister last week about the Manning network wanting to sit with the Hunter network and Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Wauchope wanting very much to sit together. That was put to the Prime Minister in his meeting with clinicians when community cabinet met in August last year.

There is also the issue of capital catch-up in the health reform agenda. I hope a substantial number of beds flow either directly from the Commonwealth or through the states through various COAG agreements. This is a direct pitch, once again, for Port Macquarie Base Hospital for at least a 20-bed catch-up. We have had a horrible history of being out of the network and all the national controversy of being the only privately funded public hospital, then getting brought back, a master plan being done and for five years not much being done around that master plan. With a catch-up in a high-growth region everyone is under pressure. There has been a direct request for beds. Everyone has been as creative as they can be in clinical delivery, but we cannot get past the issue of needing an increase in the number of beds. Hopefully that will happen in the short term.

There is also the longer term issue around the networking arrangements of the hospitals in the local area and where acute and subacute sit. Already work is being done between the Commonwealth and the states with regard to the geriatric unit, and any timetables on that would be welcome. Whilst it is not really yours, at a state level information about timetables for the palliative care subacute beds to be moved across to Wauchope hospital as part of the network would be welcome as well.

The issue of GP superclinics has been thrown around. We have submissions in with you on that front as well. We are one area that would certainly welcome one, particularly from the division of GPs—without showing favouritism. I mention that particularly because it has a training element attached to it.

That is a nice segue into an issue I have raised before, the silo thinking of governments. The space that is happening in education in the post-Bradley environment and for us in regional delivery of health care is really exciting. We are seeing more and more universities go regional, particularly into low-SES areas. The delivery of health care and its connection to universities and training is a very successful model. In our area it is the University of Newcastle and the University of New South Wales. They have been in that space before but are now looking to expand. This is really a pitch to say that if health and education can make this bigger than it already is that would be fantastic for regional areas such as mine.

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