Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges:

(i) the need for flexible dialysis services in the Central Desert that allow patients to receive treatment in their home community rather than being forced to travel thousands of kilometres,

(ii) the work of Western Desert Dialysis (Alice Springs, Northern Territory), an innovative renal service provider and recipient of the Excellence in Accessible Communities Award at the 2013 National Disability Awards, and

(iii) the ongoing dispute with the Northern Territory, and the South Australian and Western Australian Governments about who is responsible for funding the operational costs of delivering renal services 'on country' for remote Aboriginal communities; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) ensure That the $10 million earmarked for renal services is spent on improving central desert infrastructure,

(ii) work with communities to develop alternative models of service delivery, such as those proposed by communities like Kiwirrkurra and Warburton, who are prepared to contribute funding from their own community to run services, and

(iii) renew its efforts to negotiate with states and territories and resolve the impasse over patient funding as a matter of urgency.