Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Longman, who obviously knew her, can confirm that as well. She will be sadly missed. But her efforts will be remembered through the better oncology and cancer services in Cairns. COUCH are doing a wonderful job, and it is great to be able to work in partnership with the Queensland government to deliver the Liz Plummer Memorial Centre, which will be a great addition and improvement to Cairns cancer treatment facilities.

I am also looking forward to working with the hospital foundation under the leadership of Ken Chapman, and also Bob McGill and the COUCH team, on the work that they are doing with the Queensland government, putting in a submission to the new federal government cancer centres funding that was announced in the budget earlier this year. I have spoken with the minister, Nicola Roxon, about that and I look forward to continuing to work with the local community, the private sector and the base hospital to see what we can do to continue to improve cancer services in Cairns, building on the work that COUCH has done and the work that people like Liz Plummer have done and the contribution they have made to the community of Cairns. Improved services in Cairns benefit Cape York, the tablelands and the Torres Strait. They benefit a lot of people in rural and regional Queensland. I am looking forward to continuing to work with those groups and the Queensland government to develop better services and a submission for a cancer centre for Cairns as part of the package that was announced by the health minister following the budget.

So, as I said, we have made considerable contributions to cancer services through the MRI and radiation oncology commitment. We had $500,000 for expanded chemotherapy services at Cairns Base Hospital that were opened this year. We have also put additional funding into Indigenous health. There was $307,000 this year for the Apunipima Cape York Health Council to employ an additional community GP who will provide primary health care services in Mapoon and Napranum communities on a shared basis. We have also delivered $291,000 a year to assist the council to implement a family centre primary health care model in Mossman Gorge with the Queensland government in order to establish a similar model to the one operating in Mapoon. These are examples of what we are doing in Indigenous healthcare support.

Earlier this year we announced $5 million for Mookai Rosie to build a new 24-bed facility. That is about closing the gap and improving the quality of facilities available to Indigenous mothers from the Cape, the Torres Strait and the Gulf who have to come to Cairns to have their babies. Mookai Rosie does a wonderful job. It is a wonderful Indigenous organisation that was set up by Aunty Rose many years ago to provide support for mums who came down to the Cairns Base Hospital and did not have anywhere to stay. Rose took them home, and subsequently a group worked together to establish Mookai Rosie. I am very pleased and proud that the Rudd government is investing $5 million to build a new facility for this organisation, because they have done a wonderful job. This will effectively expand their facility from, I think, 12 beds to a facility that will have 24 beds.

We have a new breast cancer nurse for Cairns as part of the McGrath Foundation. It was great to be with Glenn and the health minister when we announced that. They are doing a good job. That is another example of the work that we are doing on improving cancer services and support in Cairns.

We are spending $10 million as part of our Economic Security Strategy to improve and redevelop the health precinct at the Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE. We have $12.8 million in the budget this year to improve health care in the Torres Strait, including $9.2 million over four years for the expansion of the Saibai Island clinic and the provision of staff housing to facilitate delivery of an HIV-AIDS and STI support and education program, plus $2.9 million over four years to continue support for a joint Australian government and Queensland government mosquito control program. There are significant health risks and issues across the border between the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea.

These are just some of the health initiatives that we are implementing and working on as the Rudd government. The government take health care very seriously. We are very serious about making a difference to working Australians and the types of services that they receive. We came to power ripping up Work Choices, improving education through the education revolution and making very strong commitments around improving health services. Today’s bill is a technical bill that goes to the issues around overseas trained doctors and New Zealand trained doctors, but it is part of an overall commitment that we have to improve health services in this country. I am very proud to be part of a government that makes commitments and delivers on them. It is a government that is making a difference not only in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne but also in places like Cairns, Cape York and the Torres Strait. It is a good government, it is a strong government and I look forward to being part of it in the future.

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