Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for the question. I will come back to the chamber on the specifics of the minister's engagement and consultations, but I can say that I know that Minister Butler consults very widely and is working very closely with general practice and groups representing particular arms of general practice, or health care broadly, as he works through the reforms that we want to implement. On the program around the designated status, or distribution priority, areas, we have expanded that because there are shortages in a whole range of areas. That's the reality.

Primary care is under enormous stress, and there are workforce shortages in outer metropolitan areas, in metropolitan areas and in rural and regional areas for sure. That is why in October there was a response to rural and regional health in the budget, which had a specific measure, a rural general practice package, to make sure there are innovative models of care being trialled across rural general practice, to make sure there are more training placements under the John Flynn program and to look at extra incentives for doctors and nurses to go into and work in rural and regional areas. We're looking at this across the board. Yes, there are enormous pressures in rural and regional areas. There are enormous pressures in primary care. You talk to any GP at the moment and they will tell you how hard it is with workforce, how they run their businesses and the pressure that we are trying to respond to through the strengthening Medicare fund and some of the other responses—the urgent-care clinics, as well—that are all designed to assess general practice. (Time expired)