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

I rise today to draw attention to an alarming situation concerning a lack of access to primary health care for residents in the Blue Mountains within the seat of Macquarie. The Blue Mountains, previously classified as a district of workforce shortage for general practitioners, has had its classification stripped from it by this short-sighted, incompetent Labor government. According to this government's own definition of 'district of workforce shortage', it is a geographical area of Australia in which the population's need for health care has not yet been met. This government has taken it upon itself to decide that the Blue Mountains population's need for health care has been met. Reality begs to differ. The national benchmark for GPs to population as at 2010 is one general practitioner per 1,113 people. In the Blue Mountains, the doctor-population ratio is one for 1,284 people. The disparity between the national benchmark and the ratio experienced in the Blue Mountains has real effects felt by general practitioners and residents, many of whom have contacted me to express their concern over the growing need for more doctors in our region. Statistics will speak the truth, even if this government will not. By not reaching the national benchmark the Blue Mountains population's need for primary health care is not being met. What is the government doing about it? This government is making it even tougher for general practices to attract doctors by taking away any incentive for metropolitan or international GPs to move to rural and regional areas to ease the burden and support the population's health care. What does this mean? Hospitals are being burdened, yet it is for this reason that the government set up its miracle cure for GP superclinics, designed to medicate the nation's woes by providing access to health care in rural areas. The Springwood GP superclinic is set to open officially any day now, approximately 18 months behind schedule.

In 2008 the Rudd government allocated up to $5 million to set up the clinic—an expensive exercise that promised greater access for Blue Mountain residents to primary health care. True to form the promise of the Labor government of the day was not delivered. Yes, the clinic was built; yes, the clinic is operational; and yes, $5 million of infrastructure is sitting at Springwood virtually empty as it struggles to attract GPs to the rural practice because of the incentives stripped from it when the government no longer considered the Blue Mountains as a district of workforce shortage. This government has built a clinic that is hardly super, with about half of the GPs it anticipated. The Rudd-Gillard government's fairytale of access to primary health care for all Australians hit a snag, created by itself, with the very idea of the superclinic policy contradicted by more bad policy.

The coalition strongly supports general practice as the cornerstone of primary health care. Stripping general practice of any means for it to provide primary health care acts in direct contravention of the reason it exists—to provide healthcare services to the community. This government has dictated to the people of the Blue Mountains that its healthcare needs are being met with no recognition for reality. Now, under the GP superclinics' sidekick, the Medicare Local program, the government is dictating to the population which GPs it can and cannot access through restrictions on rebates to general practice based on geographical limitations.

This government has made many areas of life for everyday Australians tough. This area of concern is no exception. The population suffers, general practices suffer, burdened hospitals suffer and $5 million worth of infrastructure sits professionally under-resourced. This is a classic example of the talent this government has for bungling policy. It makes no sense and it is severely disadvantaging Australia's primary healthcare system.

We have a community both in the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury where the professional expertise is ageing. We have a number of GPs who have recently retired or who are about to retire. We have many practices that have closed their books. It is a challenge for individuals and for the population in general and, indeed, for the general practices to actually respond to the needs of their community. I bring this to the attention of the House and I call on the government to resolve the matter urgently.