Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care (Senator Gallagher) to a question without notice asked by Senator Ruston today relating to the Distribution Priority Area classification scheme for GPs.

Changes, like the recent expansion of the Distribution Priority Area classifications by the Albanese Labor government, have only had a negative impact as we work to address workforce challenges in rural and regional Australia. Solving a problem in one area by making the situation worse in another is a really ill conceived solution to a really serious issue. The DPA classification system was designed as a crucial part of solving the GP crisis in rural communities by identifying areas of greatest need. The decision to expand the priorities status classification to outer metropolitan suburbs has effectively rendered any advantage for rural and remote parts of the country to the dustbin. The Rural Doctors Association of Australia has stated that this policy change 'will cost lives of rural and remote patients who are already suffering poorer health outcomes'. We've already seen a number of real life examples of how this expansion has pulled international medical graduates away from rural communities who are crying out for GPs. Examples include a doctor who was headed for Huonville in Tasmania but, because they now have the option of living in Hobart under the DPA changes, the Huonville community were left without the primary care support the doctor would have provided. The regional centre of Mildura has also been battling to keep many of its IMGs following the closure of a major clinic because practising in Dandenong is now an option.

When asked in estimates if the Albanese government had consulted the rural and regional communities before deciding to expand the DPA classifications and make it harder for them to attract doctors, Assistant Minister McCarthy replied, 'No.' Labor have consistently refused to even acknowledge the impact of this decision on rural communities, and today in question time Minister Butler couldn't even provide the number of towns who have lost a GP since the decision came into effect.

Right now, we need to be absolutely focused on ensuring the right levers are in place to get more doctors practising in the bush, not making it harder for rural communities to attract GPs. We will continue to seek answers from the government on this serious issue until they provide some transparency on the full extent of the impact that their decision is having on rural, regional and remote communities.

It has been clear that the Albanese Labor government does not have a plan to address the critical workforce shortages we are seeing across Australia's healthcare sector, particularly in relation to GPs. So far, all we've seen from this government is their dedication to copying coalition policies from the election. They have not announced one single new initiative that meaningfully responds to GP shortages as they are unfolding. The government's Jobs and Skills Summit was meant to address this issue, but all it delivered was another talk-fest that failed to deliver any real plans.

The only initiative they have actually delivered, expanding the DPA—distribution priority area—classifications for overseas trained doctors has exacerbated the problem by ripping away GPs from many rural and regional communities that were already struggling with GP shortages. Labor are too busy working on their next grab line for a headline, instead of working with the practices and communities on the ground who understand the issue and are crying out for the government to listen. Don't take my word on this. The Chair of the RACGP Rural Council, Dr Michael Clements, said:

This will absolutely lead to an immediate migration of doctors out of the rural and remote areas … closer to big cities … as a direct result of this.

Minister Butler must urgently explain to the Australian public and healthcare sector if he has a plan to address the issue of GP shortages that are unfolding across the country. We asked: Who did you consult? How many towns were negatively affected? That is what we need the answer to, and we don't need any more services or GPs exiting rural, regional and remote communities.

Question agreed to.