Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the House today to speak again about another blow to regional Australia from the federal Labor government. I will provide you yet again with evidence that this government has absolutely no regard for the people who live outside the big cities and towns. In a cruel blow to the small communities throughout Flynn, the Labor government has closed 24 Medicare Australia access points in the electorate and will close a further three within the next year or so. Towns like Wowan, coal mining towns like Tieri, Blackwater, Moura and Theodore, which has just been devastated by floods for the second year in a row, and communities like Boyne Island, with an aluminium smelter, and Tannum Sands are being affected. People are now being told they have to either access Medicare information via the internet or travel to larger towns or cities to conduct their Medicare business.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not good enough. It is a shame.

Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a shame. It is unacceptable. What about elderly residents and those with illnesses or disabilities? Some people do not know how to access the internet or for one reason or another cannot travel long distances to these towns to carry out such basic day-to-day functions. Some people have no cars and rely on public transport. I can tell you that there is no public transport in a lot of these towns. There are no taxi services. There are no bus services.

The government are out of touch with the needs of the regional communities. This decision by an uncaring Labor government must be overturned and overturned soon. It is like everything else they do. They hide behind the curtains and leave the delivery of bad news to the store owners and business owners who they have just sacked. Let me quote from the notice sent out to the store owners who for years have provided this service to their communities and have been sacked by Medicare Australia. The letter to those people, who had been faithful over all those years, said:

It is your responsibility to notify all customers who intend to use the Medicare Australia access point facility that it will no longer be available.

Let us get this straight: the federal government sack the store owners and then require them to do the government's dirty work by delivering the bad news to the people of these smaller towns. We all know this is a 'good news only' government. All they want to speak about is the good news, all the good things.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is not much of that.

Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is not much of that either. You are right.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member for Riverina ought not to interject from outside his seat.

Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all know that this is all spin and no substance. But for pity's sake, Mr Deputy Speaker, this is beyond the pale. Twenty-seven Medicare Australia access point facilities are being taken away from my electorate. We have not heard from the member for Capricornia how many are about to be stripped from my neighbouring electorate, but bad news does not sell very well so I guess we will not hear much from her on this issue. Over 800 of these Medicare Australia access points are being closed Australia-wide. Do not tell me none are being closed in Capricornia. Or is it just a case of Labor members not wanting to face up to the honest truth, which is that this government has absolutely no regard for regional Australians? (Time expired)