Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Would the minister inform the House about what the Howard government is doing to increase the number of doctors in Australia. Are there any alternative policies?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for his question and note his deep interest in this matter. Last Friday the Prime Minister announced the outcome of the COAG decision to increase the number of medical places in Australia and to increase the support for the costs of that education. Specifically, the Australian government will lift the cap on fully funded medical places from 10 per cent to 25 per cent. This will mean that up to 400 more medical students will be able to study medicine. These places are in addition to the 2,195 HECS places for medicine that will be made available up to 2008. In addition, the Prime Minister announced an increase in FEE-HELP for medical students—from $50,000 to $80,000.

This was a most welcome announcement. It is interesting that the strongest proponent of this initiative was not the Prime Minister, although he supported the initiative, but a state Labor premier; it was Premier Peter Beattie. He was supported by the other state Labor premiers in this initiative. He was almost overcome with excitement. It is worth quoting from the transcript of the press release:

PREMIER BEATTIE: Well, I’m happy, I’m very happy, these COAGs just get better. And you get happier too. As a result of today’s decision the University of Queensland, in partnership with the Greenslopes Hospital —

the member for Griffith will be interested in this—

will be able to start training another 60 doctors.  Now this is a result of lifting the quota from 10% to 25%.

Premier Beattie goes on:

I fully support this and I express my appreciation to my colleagues for supporting this proposition from Queensland because we do have a doctor shortage.

He goes on:

So today in terms of health it is a very significant breakthrough and I am delighted, as I said. I thank the Prime Minister ... my colleagues. I endorse all the other things that have been said. And as I said, the COAGs just get better.

Premier Beattie was then reported in the Australian Financial Review as saying he would not allow ideology to stand in the way of a solution to the state’s shortage of doctors. Perhaps Premier Beattie should have told his federal Labor counterparts, for we learn today that federal Labor will move to disallow the increase of the cap from 10 per cent to 25 per cent for medical students in this country. Labor will deny up to 400 medical students the opportunity to study medicine. They will be shutting out bright, competent students from undertaking a medical degree and building this country’s health work force.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms King interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Ballarat is warned.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, federal Labor members show how out of touch they are, not only with their state colleagues but with all Australians.