Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to highlight concerns being raised by local residents in the south of my electorate of Farrer. This affects not only the Albury region as it is an issue that also deeply concerns people over the border into Wodonga and the north-east of Victoria, a region represented by my colleague the member for Indi. The issue concerns funding for our local public health system. If would be fair to note that this issue is not unique in being raised in this place. It is certainly not the first time that funding for local hospitals will be mentioned in this House, and it is not likely to be the last. But in this instance it is a unique set of circumstances that I seek to highlight. And to do that adequately I will need to give the House a brief historical overview.

For those unaware of this, Albury and Wodonga are two separate cities in two separate states, New South Wales and Victoria, but to all intents and purposes—apart from the way they are governed—they very much operate as one city of approximately 100,000 people, with a wider regional cross-border population of over 200,000. And if you were to count that wider population based on the number of people using our cities for their primary and specialist health care, you could add another 100,000 people to that figure. And that is why the funding and future of Albury Wodonga Health is so vital.

The separate NSW local health service in Albury merged with its Victorian counterpart on 1 July 2009, making it the very first cross-border public health service to exist in Australia. Under that intergovernmental agreement, the Albury Base Hospital and Wodonga Regional Health Service combined to create one of the largest regional public health services between Sydney and Melbourne.

Early last month I spoke at a rally attended by hundreds of local residents organised by a new community based group simply asking for an adequately funded public health service. This was not, and still is not, just an angry mob. These are local community leaders, health professionals, patients and, in some cases, staff employed by the local hospital service backed up by a petition calling for help which has been signed by over 10,000 local residents. Specifically, we need an upgraded and re-sized emergency department, additional beds and operating theatre and funding to reduce unacceptably high and growing waiting lists. There is also need for a cardiac investigation unit and other improved primary care services in an effort to help reduce actual hospital admissions to ease the pressure on doctors and staff. Underpinning all of this is the urgent need for an increase in recurrent funding.

Now these are not overt demands from a region that wants any better facilities and service than anywhere else's. This is simply a minimum to ensure our community is not put at harm through understaffed, overcrowded, substandard facilities with overworked staff forced to make do with ageing equipment. I am not here to argue whether the most recent federal budget allocated enough resources to the Health portfolio. It is a well-worn maxim that governments—any governments—could spend more on health services. But what I am here to argue is that as medical services—by necessity—contract to metropolitan and major urban centres, a place like Albury-Wodonga be recognised for the role it is providing.

Combined, here is a health service which aims not only to serve the population that actually uses it but also—if it can play that part adequately—to take pressure off the health services that are located in our major cities. We do not want our patients from Albury and Wodonga to have to travel to Melbourne under pressure and unwell. We do not want them to place that additional burden on the capital city health system.

Of course, as a member of the federal opposition, I cannot be privy to the efficiencies in spending which would allow direct increased funding for Albury Wodonga Health. But what I have promised the people at the rally I attended is that if the coalition is returned to office after the September poll I will track the overall federal health allocation to both New South Wales and Victoria through the new minister for health and we will ensure that a logical and base level of funding for the patients accessing Albury Wodonga Health is written in stone and not subject to the vagaries of politics or quick-fix budgetary priorities. I trust that the health minister and members of the government hear the concerns of my community. (Time expired)