Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

Like the member for Macarthur, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the member for Parkes for bringing forward this very important motion but also acknowledge that he has announced his retirement. He gave a valedictory speech last week. Smalltown Australia does need big, strong, sensible voices, and the member for Parkes has been one throughout his career. It's also fitting that the member for Macarthur mentioned Broken Hill in his contribution, because not so long ago I was at a function with the member for Riverina, and he told the member for Parkes, 'Do you know, if Broken Hill was in my electorate, they'd just call it the Hill, because I would have fixed it by now!'

All dad jokes aside, the member for Parkes has served with great distinction in this place. He's been a friend and a trusted colleague, whose passion for rural and regional Australia knows no bounds. He has always been someone focused on practical and sensible outcomes. That's why this motion today fits very nicely with his entire mode of operation throughout his political career. At its heart, this motion is about helping young people achieve their full potential but also publicly acknowledging an organisation that has done more than just talk about the problem.

Royal Far West has been out there for 100 years now, making a difference in our rural and regional communities. Royal Far West has had 100 years of service to Australians. It has been able to overcome the tyranny of distance to provide those early intervention services which have made it easier for young people in our rural and regional communities to access services and to achieve their full potential. It's also particularly important to acknowledge, as the member for Parkes did, that it has helped to reduce the cost of living for families in those rural and remote communities, who are able to access services and facilities without always having to travel to metropolitan areas.

Royal Far West has demonstrated a capacity and capability, which is why it's so important that this government—and any future government—continues to invest in solutions that have been proven to work on the ground in rural and regional areas. There is an opportunity, particularly for us in our rural and remote communities, to provide services using technology in locations where we can't always attract the skilled specialist health staff we need. Nothing is better than having a skilled health provider treating people in our communities or going around schools and meeting young people, but if that's not available to us then we should be using technology in the same way that Royal Far West has been using technology through its National Paediatric Telecare Service. This is a great example of a local solution to a local problem which is being financed by the Commonwealth and which is really making a difference on the ground in rural and remote communities.

I would make one other point, and it's a shout-out to any young health professionals thinking about careers in rural and regional communities. Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers. Get out there and have a look and see what you can experience and the career fast track that exists in our rural and regional communities. You will get exposure to a whole range of issues, ailments and conditions that will fast-track your career. It's a great experience. Anyone in the health sector looking at a rural experience should consider moving to a rural and remote community and offering their services to communities that perhaps don't normally have access to those skilled health professionals.

It makes sense to invest in the continuation of the National Paediatric Telecare Service. As the member for Parkes indicated, early intervention has very clear benefits for the young person, their social achievements and their own personal achievements in life. But there are also economic benefits for the government. The savings that ensue from early intervention and the prevention of some longer-term issues are clearly evident in the reductions in costs for the government down the track. It is well known that Royal Far West provides outstanding services. It's also well known that in our rural and remote communities our children's health, education and wellbeing have some additional barriers. And the whole point of what Royal Far West has been doing, and what the member for Parkes has done throughout his entire parliamentary career, is to try to help young people in our communities achieve their full potential by improving access to services for them.

The final point I would make is in relation to the ongoing funding model. The reason the member for Parkes has moved this motion is that the provision of certainty through the continuity of funding gives an organisation like Royal Far West the confidence to employ a workforce and have ongoing employment opportunities. When funding runs out on short-term contracts the workforce has to start looking around for a new job probably six to eight months before the contract even runs out, and they sometimes leave prematurely. So having that certainty and continuity will give confidence to Royal Far West and their workforce to continue to make a huge difference throughout rural and regional Australia, and I commend the member for Parkes for his motion.

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