Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I note Senator Boswell's longstanding interest in health issues in regional Queensland. The coalition has a very strong track record on investments in infrastructure, in the workforce and in training to meet the health challenges regional, remote and Indigenous Australians face. In health these have included the establishment of rural clinical schools, expanded medical training in regional and rural areas and more allied health services and medical specialist outreach assistance.

Senator Boswell would be well aware of the rural clinical school campuses in Bundaberg and Rockhampton associated with the University of Queensland and also in Mackay and Cairns associated with JCU; however poorer access to health services persists in rural and remote areas like North Queensland compared with metropolitan areas in Australia and not only for private sector health services.

The prediction is that, providing we maintain our current intake of overseas-trained doctors, the supply of GPs will be in balance with demand in around 2025. But of course we know there is a significant maldistribution of numbers, and that is the key area that needs to be addressed in terms of providing services for rural and regional areas.

The previous coalition government made a significant investment in new medical schools, and those medical graduates are now starting to make their way into the workforce. They will make an important contribution, but we need to make sure that we continue appropriate initiatives to address the maldistribution. As a first step in addressing the problem, the government will provide $40 million over the forward estimates to support up to 100 additional intern places each year in private hospitals and non-traditional settings during the current period of growth of student numbers. I note in contrast the previous Labor government had a severe detachment from what was needed in our regional communities.