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

I thank the member for Blair for his question, because in his electorate, where he has both urban and rural constituents, they will benefit significantly from the broadband network, being able to access e-health services into the future. This investment in the National Broadband Network will actually mean that we are capable of things in the health system that have not been delivered before. The infrastructure that is being built is going to provide universal, reliable and superfast broadband to homes, schools and hospitals. This is going to make the system capable of developing nationwide e-health services like telemedicine, online consultations, electronic health records, coordinated care and online health education. In the member for Blair’s seat the potential for being able to link, for example, Ipswich Hospital with far flung services and communities to the west of Ipswich is going to change the way health care can be delivered into the future. It will allow, for example, in-home monitoring and care for the elderly. It will allow long-distance emergency intervention and remote care using video communications.

You do not need to just take the government’s word for this. Have a look at other commentators and their views about what the National Broadband Network will do for the health system. Access Economics reports that telehealth in Australia will deliver between $2 billion and $4 billion of benefits each and every year, especially for the elderly and rural and remote communities. We can look at the member for Bradfield in The Wired Brown Land. He says—

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