Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Meander Valley Council, Tasmania, is characterised by an aged population, high youth unemployment and under-employment, and low household income; and that it experiences all the attendant health and social challenges associated with rural areas across Australia;

(b) notes the success of the Meander Valley Council in utilising federal funding to develop essential youth and social work practices to support the community, including in health prevention and mental health, particularly through the Westbury and Deloraine Community Health Centres;

(c) recognises that health outcomes in rural and regional Australia continue to lag behind the rest of the country;

(d) notes the motion of the Meander Valley Council expressing concern about the impact of the proposed changes to funding for the Rural Primary Health Services Program;

(e) notes that these changes follow harsh cuts by the Federal Government to the Health Flexible Funds which have disproportionately impacted regional communities; and

(f) calls on the Federal Government to recognise the importance of the Westbury and Deloraine Community Health Centres to the Meander Valley when implementing its changes to the Rural Primary Health Services Program.

Question agreed to.