Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the hurly-burly of this bizarre space we call the House, at times we need a reality check: the political bubble talk here has about as much relevance to the voting Australian as talking to a three-year-old about the imagery in Shakespeare's play King Lear. So my team and I decided to have some 'politics in the pub' sessions to make sure we are connecting with the reality of the need of the people who live in Gilmore. While I initially apologise for all the p's I'm going to use, it's likely to make what I say just that much more meaningful.

At Catalina Country Club, Batemans Bay, I was privileged to meet up with the local Parkinson's support group. They'd come for their session of pub politics. More importantly, they wanted me to talk to the health minister and plead their case. We have a really great neurological nurse in Gilmore, and she's working over a very large area, yet the PHN will not allocate a permanent budget for this position. Her worth has been proven time and time again—reducing hospital admissions, preventing contra medication, recognising early symptoms, assisting carers to maintain their own mental health whilst caring for a partner with a degenerative illness, working with other services to get some fun and gentle exercise classes, and the list goes on. However, in Batemans Bay, there is no such assistance, and the carers are ageing and they feel totally unsupported.

Isn't it about time the benefits of neurological nurses are examined more closely, especially in electorates with an ageing demographic? There's an increasing incidence of Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, motor neurone disease and dementia, and the expertise and assistance of a neurological nurse is such a benefit to these people. There's significant evidence to show that the return on the health investment dollar is of a high order. And, while this is not the motivator, it is certainly a factor worth considering in future health allocations.

These small support groups are all suffering, and some are in danger of folding; and then where will we be? The get-together with the Parkinson's support group was softly interrupted by an older gentleman. He introduced himself as Roy Phillips, and his concern was for his granddaughter Gigi. Gigi has a rare genetic disorder and will most likely pass from this life before she turns 16. He's having problems negotiating the NDIS. Some of his words that he presented to me in a letter, as he almost wept in frustration, are as follow: 'From what I can see, there is no indication of any application for necessary home modifications, despite her plan being some eight months into its duration. These modifications were relatively straightforward and would allow her to move freely in her wheelchair around the home. The plan for some way of getting her from the garage into the family home seems to have come to a complete halt. Information has stalled between the providers and the NDIS.' Coincidentally, Roy's daughter has now developed a chronic back condition due to the constant lifting of the seven-year-old child. Roy's tears were contagious, and I assured him I would follow up on his behalf. I would like to thank Assistant Minister Jane Prentice and her staff for the rapid escalation of this situation and the development of a resolution pathway.

At times like these, small wins are a great reminder that, each day, we can make a difference in the life of a family, an individual or a community. It is our task to work on the micro level, the community level, the national level and the international level.

The legislation on Australian motor vehicle standards was another way that a local politician could work and achieve for her community. In response to the desire to retain in our community the strength of our car yards, which are often medium sized enterprises in the electorate and, in Gilmore, employ around 250 people, there was a battle to make sure that parallel imports would not be part of the legislation. This part of the proposed legislation would have damaged our local industry. The minister, Mr Paul Fletcher, was open to suggestions put forward by both industry members and backbench colleagues, and we now have the best outcome.

In the meantime, I continue to advocate for significant changes in the directions taken by the ATO when recovering debts from businesses and individuals. They sometimes just don't get it right. Some other changes that need to be made relate to the subcontracting regime in the major contracts in government departments. And there is still much work to be done. It is agonisingly slow, but I believe these fundamental changes are not just preferable but essential. There is a need to open the pathways for innovation and not have old-fashioned processes applying that have no relationship to the need for cash flow. There is a huge need for a cultural mindset change to take place in our banks and at ASIC, the ACCC and the ATO, just to name a few. These changes are big-picture visions, and I recognise that they will take time. In my book, the only fair way to fix things is to keep pushing for change. From wheelchairs to support nurses, from legislative tweaking to an overhaul of the way we treat business, it's all in a day's work for someone elected to the House, and it's our duty to make every minute count.