Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

About the grants: it probably will not surprise you that we expect to make an announcement relatively soon about the details so that people are able to make their applications, and that process will be public.

We are requiring, as you would expect and as has occurred for the GP Super Clinics Program, that in return for public taxpayers’ money being invested mostly in private facilities there will be an additional benefit to the community—whether it is training more of our workforce, whether it is opening extended hours or a range of those services, they will be part of the guidelines. The split is about half and half. We will make those details available. It is in our thinking that the GP superclinics will range from some of the smaller ones to the more extensive ones. We think it is appropriate to have a little bit of flexibility, because it will depend on applications and expressions of interest that are made. But we believe that there is a great need.

I cannot undertake to the shadow minister that every superclinic will be in an area of workforce shortage, because there are areas of need that may have a combined range of factors that mean it is appropriate to train more of your workforce in a particular area or where there is a very high need for Indigenous services, for example. But obviously that will be a key factor in identifying where services are needed. We have made training, workforce shortages and the needs of disadvantaged communities and fast-growing urban populations our key criteria for the past superclinics and we do not expect that that will greatly change. But detailed announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

I am going to hand over to my colleague the Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery on the Indigenous question. Was there one other issue that was asked?

See this speech in context