Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I bring to the attention of Minister Roxon the fact that the HIV/AIDS Strategy concludes on 30 June 2008. Firstly, can the minister advise the House, and me in particular, (1) of the plans and the budgetary items that have been applied to completing a new strategy and (2) whether there has been any finance allocated to enhancing the whole-of-life health programs for HIV-AIDS sufferers and the communities.

Secondly, I note in the budget papers that the government refers to ‘enhancing the medical workforce by the addition of 5,000 international medical graduates—IMGs’. I have gone through the budgetary papers and I can find no reference to any financial provision to allow for this group to obtain the necessary education and training to fit into Australian general practice. Minister, it is evident that GPET has been providing this training over a number of years. The Rural Doctors Network and the Commonwealth funded Rural Outreach Vocational Education Scheme, known as ROVE, seem to have disappeared from the budget. The minister may be able to inform me whether this is or is not correct. It would seem to me that if the ROVE Scheme has been depleted or removed then there will be limited or no support available to these 5,000 IMGs to enable them to fit into training practices or rural general practice. Minister, I would really appreciate some response to those questions.

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