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

I don't actually have any information on that, Senator Tyrrell, so I am happy to undertake—perhaps in the interim, as we won't be sitting—for the Minister for Health and Aged Care to respond to you directly on that. I know that there has been a huge amount of work being done through health ministers on health workforce. One of the issues was that before it was abolished—I think by Peter Dutton—we had in place Health Workforce Australia, an independent body that did the planning on what workforce we need and how to get there over the long term. Unfortunately, that body was abolished. Not a lot was done in the meantime, and now we are trying to work with states and territories not only to deliver the workers they need right now but to invest in the chain for the future. That includes looking at how we utilise international workers right across the board. I will undertake for the Health minister to respond to you on the specifics.