Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Ludwig. Given that Australia’s health system is in crisis and we have an ageing population, an obesity epidemic and a public health system buckling at the knees under increasing pressure, and that we know that doctors are under enormous stress, working intolerable hours, and that there is a doctor shortage and the federal government in its forward planning is continuing to rely on importing overseas doctors rather than training our own kids to be doctors, is it not crazy that each year we turn away more than 7,000 of our own kids from studying medicine because the government refuses to fund more medical places? And is it not crazy that the government prefers to take doctors from other countries when it knows these countries desperately need to keep their own doctors? Why is the government continuing to rely on importing overseas doctors rather than offering opportunities to Australian kids who want to become doctors?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In dealing with, in part, all of your issues, I will try to home in on the relevant points that you have made. Australia of course is experiencing a shortage of medical practitioners, with the recent audit of the regional and rural health workforce highlighting that this shortage becomes greater with increasing remoteness. We do know and understand the statistics that, as you go further into regional and remote Australia, the shortage becomes more acute. I am aware of the comments made by the RDAA in respect of the need for more GPs and agree that rural communities are at a significant disadvantage when compared to their city and outer-metropolitan counterparts.

The government are well aware that there is a national shortage of doctors, including GPs. We are also aware that the members opposite—if I could use the term ‘the Liberals’—by their own admission, failed to adequately plan for the health workforce needs of the community. Overseas trained doctors are highly sought after and a scarce resource, and they have proven to be one of the most effective means of providing medical services to outer-metropolitan and rural areas. They provide much-needed medical services to the Australian community, in particular in our rural areas, where they make up 41 per cent of the medical workforce.

I am not aware of any evidence that the current arrangements are impacting on the attractiveness of Australia as a destination for overseas trained doctors. Overseas trained doctors do play—and I know you mentioned, Senator Fielding, our reliance on attracting overseas trained doctors in your question—a valuable role in meeting the needs of our communities, particularly our rural communities. But one of the issues, of course, is the long-term planning that goes to meeting the current shortage of GPs—one of the things that the coalition did not plan for or look at in any serious way when they were in government.

The government are aware of the shortage of doctors in urban areas as well, but I note that residents of cities do have access to a range of alternative medical services that are not available to rural and remote area residents. In urban communities, there are allied health professionals. There are a range of other ways to meet health needs. We also welcome the fact that new graduate doctors will now be coming online following the increase in the number of medical student places, with the number of graduates doubling from 1,335 in 2006 to 2,887 in 2012. One of the things this government is also looking at, as you indicated in your question, Senator Fielding, is how we can increase the number of graduates so that we can bring more doctors through the system—shown by that figure of 2,887 in 2012.

In addition, there are the GP superclinics, which will bring together a range of health professionals, such as GPs, nurses, allied health professionals and some specialists. These will provide an ideal environment for GPs looking to practise in a team based environment. Through GP superclinics, this government is trying to bring allied health professionals and GPs into clinics to provide services to communities in urban areas but also in remote and regional Australia. Other features of the GP superclinics which may be attractive to GPs include the potential for both flexible working arrangements and opportunities to undertake primary health care research— (Time expired)

Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. We know that the government has the authority to scrap the cap on the number of training places in hospitals for our own kids, rather than rely on getting overseas doctors. This is all about our own kids and not giving them a fair go to study medicine. The government has the ability to increase the number of medical places at universities for Australian kids rather than importing overseas doctors. When will the government scrap the cap? When will you come clean and tell Australians why we are still relying on importing overseas doctors? Why is the government too stingy to fund more medical places for our own kids?

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said in answer to Senator Fielding’s first question, it is worth bearing in mind that the number of graduates is doubling from 1,335 in 2006 to this government’s target of 2,887 by 2012. We are looking at how we increase the number of graduates through the system. One of the important things, of course—and I do not think that you meant otherwise in the way you phrased your question, Senator Fielding—is that overseas trained doctors are a valuable resource and do provide a valuable contribution to Australia, particularly in regional and remote areas. I take it that you may be supportive of that but you are also targeting particular students as well. That is one of the areas we are—

Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. The central part of the question was why we are taking overseas doctors, at the expense of our own kids. The government is relying on forward forecasts for overseas doctors when we should be training our own kids. Mr President, could you bring the minister back to the question?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. Senator Ludwig, I draw your attention to the question.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did say that we were increasing the number of graduate places for students. We also— (Time expired)