Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the MRI licence that was granted to the local government area of Blacktown in the Greenway electorate in July this year. The need for a magnetic resonance imaging service in the Blacktown area came about as the local population has grown over the last few years. Indeed, that population is continuing to expand at a rapid rate. With population expansion, there are increasing pressures on the local health service and an MRI service would considerably assist both the population who are in need and the local health services. People from one of Australia’s largest and most diverse communities have required an MRI licence for many years but have been neglected by the state Labor government. This needed to change, which is why on 28 July this year the federal Department of Health and Ageing wrote offering New South Wales Health a Medicare-eligible MRI licence for Blacktown. The government’s commitment to extend the licence came about as a result of extensive campaigning by chief radiographer James Nol, me and the federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, who visited Blacktown earlier this year.

This machine is particularly effective as a diagnostic tool for diseases like cancer and, as there is no MRI service between Westmead and Penrith, local residents who may have cancer or who have suffered strokes or have soft tissue damage currently have to travel long distances for safe, radiation-free examinations. With this in mind, it is a tragedy that since the granting of the licence almost three months ago the Labor state government has failed to make any effort to move this process forward. It is the responsibility of the Labor state government to ensure this scanner is in Blacktown Hospital and is fully functional. (Time expired)