Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a contribution on the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2024-2025 and the consideration in detail of the Health and Age Care portfolio. Regional Australia has felt the brunt of subpar health services for far too long. From maternity bypasses, like we've seen recently at the Gladstone and Biloela hospitals, to the lack of GPs and specialists, it is an issue no matter where you live in the Flynn electorate, in Central Queensland. This is not acceptable in capital cities like Brisbane and Canberra, and it shouldn't be acceptable in big regional electorates such as Flynn.

Aged care is a significant issue that needs serious attention and practical outcomes and solutions. At a time when waiting lists for home-care packages have blown out, we know that the next generation of older Australians will want to stay in their homes for longer. Labor's budget has only provided an additional 24,100 home-care packages. This follows revelations that a mere 9,500 additional home-care packages have been released by the Albanese Labor government. This compares to 50,000 older Australians who are already waiting on the national priority system for home-care packages, and this demand is growing. Demand for home-care packages grew over the last quarter by 14 per cent, while new home-care recipients represented only seven per cent of the HCP Program. It also compares to the 80,000 additional home-care packages provided by the coalition over our last two years in government. It is clear that demand is far outpacing the supply of home-care packages under this government.

Recent data has shown that some of the most vulnerable older Australians are waiting as long as an entire year to get access to home-care packages. Wait times for level 3 packages have blown out to nine to 12 months, while wait times for level 4 packages have risen to six to nine months. Why did the government fail to provide even half the number of additional home-care packages needed to address the current waitlist, and will the government commit to urgently bringing down home-care wait times so that older Australians get the support they need to stay in their own homes for longer?

Last year, Carinity Summit Cottages, an aged-care facility in Mount Morgan, in my electorate of Flynn, closed. They advised that the ongoing nationwide shortage of aged-care staff combined with Mount Morgan's regional location had made staffing the facility incredibly difficult. Given the national care workforce shortage and the increased difficulty in recruiting staff, the only viable option was for Carinity aged-care cottages to close. The Labor government misunderstand that their one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work, particularly in regional Australia. I wrote to the Minister for Aged Care asking what the Labor government is doing to stop this aged-care facility and others around the electorate from closing. I ask again: what is the government doing to stop more of these aged-care facilities from closing?

The Labor government made an election commitment to fund an additional 29 urgent care clinics, including one in Rockhampton and one in Bundaberg. Not only are these urgent care clinics that have already been established not open for the promised extended hours but we have also heard reports that they have not even been equipped with the critical services necessary to treat patients for urgent injuries and illnesses, as they were intended to be. Can the minister explain why Rockhampton and Bundaberg were chosen as locations for these urgent care clinics? Will the minister commit to opening and funding urgent care clinics in locations such as Gladstone, Gracemere, Biloela and Emerald?

Earlier this year, I hosted the general practitioners, health professionals and local community advocates for a regional health roundtable in Gladstone. Topics of discussion included challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, lack of GPs in regional Australia, underserviced areas, development of local health training opportunities and policy initiatives to improve regional health outcomes. It was an important opportunity for local professionals to discuss regional health challenges, as well as the practical solutions and initiatives that can be implemented by both state and federal governments. Ultimately, the No. 1 issue was the lack of GPs and health professionals overall. I strongly welcome Peter Dutton's announcement that he will incentivise junior doctor training and general practice. Working with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Association, a coalition government would invest $400 million to provide junior doctors who train in general practice with incentive payments, assistance with leave entitlements and support for prevocational training. I ask the minister: will this commitment be matched by the Labor government? (Time expired)

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