Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Capricornia is in the midst of a health catastrophe. Under this government's neglect, emergency department wait times have surged across all categories, pushing our hospitals to the brink. Elective surgery wait times have nearly doubled in 20 years, and public hospital capacity has reached a critical point, with bed availability for Australians over 65 at a record low.

My constituents in Capricornia are painfully aware of the dire situation at Rockhampton Hospital, the primary facility for Central Queensland, which serves a population of 230,000. Ambulance ramping at Rockhampton Hospital has soared to over 48 per cent—3.6 per cent higher than in the previous quarter. In the past month alone, the hospital has been overwhelmed and operating at capacity, under tier 3 alert levels, as they struggle to meet the growing demand.

The coalition has repeatedly called on the government to take immediate action to address the primary healthcare crisis, which is only adding to the strain on our already overburdened hospital systems. In Capricornia, it has never been harder to see a GP, which is forcing more and more patients into the hospital system in search of care. The people of Capricornia deserve better. They deserve access to quality health care without the fear of long waits and inadequate services. It's time for this government to take strong and decisive action to resolve the healthcare crisis in regional Australia and provide the level of care that every Australian is entitled to.