Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for her continuing interest in health. I know we on this side have a longstanding commitment to improving health care and hospitals for the long term. The senator is quite right to identify the importance of health care and hospitals, and this government has been strongly investing in them and the services they provide to all Australians. We are investing $325 million to help get Tasmania's health system back on track. The Gillard government is taking important steps to support Tasmania's health system to cope with an older population, higher rates of chronic disease and health system constraints. The support package will address the unique challenges faced by this state. What this shows is that the Gillard Labor government does not just talk about improving health care for Australians; it actually goes and gets the work done.

The money will pay for elective surgery, new clinics, mental health and specialist training—actions that will ease immediate pressures and equip Tasmania's health system to meet future challenges through the following investments over the next four years. There is $31 million for elective surgery. There will be two new walk-in health centres in Hobart and Launceston costing $22 million. There is $48 million to improve care in the community. There is additional money for post-discharge and palliative care and funding for medical specialist training, mental health services and the rollout of personal electronic health record systems in local hospitals.

These investments respond to the ideas that frontline clinicians have told the minister for health will be the best way to assist Tasmania's health system. The investment will also better position Tasmania to meet the goals and targets of the national health reform. Why? Because the Labor government is committed to seeing more services on the ground for Tasmanians— (Time expired)