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

I thank the member for Moreton for this question because he has had a keen interest in e-health initiatives for GP partners in his electorate and in northern Brisbane, one of the lead sites trying to make sure that they are well positioned and GPs are well positioned to take advantage of not just health reform but also the powers of the NBN.

I notice up in the gallery some of our GP friends from Geelong. Similarly, they are hoping to be able to be well positioned to make the most of the government’s investment in health reform but also to unleash the potential of the Broadband Network. Of course, our aim in combining these two important priorities for the government is that we do improve the access to health services in regional areas, that we reduce medical errors, and that we are able to train more doctors and nurses. The combined investments in the Broadband Network and health reform can have real results. In particular, regional patients will be able to get better access to specialists, particularly as the tele-health items come online for the Medicare Benefits Schedule on 1 July. Families will be able to see and talk to a GP at 3 am if that is the time when their child is sick in the middle of the night. In the future we will be able to use the technology and the changes to our health system to allow this. If you are from Perth and your doctor is in Perth but you have an MRI scan when you are on holiday in Cairns, you will be able to ask for that scan to be sent to your doctor in Perth so that you can follow up with the proper treatment into the future.

The new medical school opening in Darwin next year will enable Flinders University to train new students online, using the Broadband Network to get proper access. These sorts of investments are vital. I know he has already been mentioned but I suspect that Minister Grylls, a minister interested in regional development, will also be looking at the potential of the Broadband Network to deliver health services to a bigger part of our community in regional areas. In fact, pretty much everyone in this House, except those opposite, believes there is benefit to be had from linking health reforms with the National Broadband Network so that we can improve services provided to communities across the country. We are at a point in time when we have a choice as to whether we unleash the potential of technology to improve health services or whether we want to stand in the way of any change. On this side of the House we want to use the potential; unfortunately, on the other side of the House they simply want to stand in the way and block both of them.

See this speech in context