Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister outline progress made on the GP superclinic program, including for the newly announced clinics?

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

I thank the member for Robertson for her question. She has a keen interest, like many in this House, in news of the new 28 superclinics that were committed to during the election campaign. But I would like to give the House first an update, as I was asked to, on the first 36 superclinics. We are just over the halfway mark since the introduction of that program, a five-year program. We have seven operational superclinics across the country, we have eight that are operating early services, we have 17 that are under construction and we have more than a quarter of a million services that have been provided through the superclinics.

I will give you a couple of short examples. I recently visited the Geelong superclinic, which services the electorates of Corangamite and Corio. The Prime Minister also visited that superclinic, just before its formal opening on 30 August. That service now has seven GPs. It has practice nurses, a physiotherapist, an exercise physiologist and a podiatrist. It has students commencing next year who will be trained in the superclinic, as part of the academic year. I know that the new member for Solomon has been to the Palmerston superclinic. It opened on 4 October and has been providing after-hours services since December 2008. It now has GP services, practice nurses, physiotherapy, dietetics and a clinical psychologist. The member for Blair, I understand, visited his GP superclinic in Ipswich. Its first stage has been opened and has had a very good reaction from patients, staff and the community.

As well as talking about our existing program, I want to update the House on the process that has started for the new 28 clinics that are part of our $7.4 billion health reform plan. Many MPs in this House will know that I wrote to them some weeks ago seeking some further information, given that the opposition has opposed superclinics—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Playing politics is what you were doing.

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

I gave members the courtesy of writing them a letter asking for their view. Contrary to the member for Dickson’s view, many of his colleagues answered those letters. Many of those colleagues will be pleased to know that we have paid attention to their views. Eleven of the clinics have gone straight to an invitation to apply process, including the ones in Blacktown, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Nowra. I am sure that the members for Cowper and Gilmore will be pleased that those are going ahead.

But, following requests for further consultations in their electorates from a number of members, 13 clinics will have a consultation process begun before they go to the invitation to apply stage. This includes, for example, the electorate of Adelaide and the electorate of Bonner, where the Wyndham superclinic will have further consultations. Four further clinics for which the operators have already been identified, like in Jindabyne and Rockingham, will proceed immediately to negotiations with those identified operators.

This program is already delivering services to the community. More services are coming. More training is being provided. We are determined to make sure that if the community wants to see a GP they can access to one closer to their home and that students will be trained in their electorates. That is what this program is delivering.