Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question to the minister will be in relation to medical research, but before that I would like to talk to the minister about health and medical issues within my electorate of Swan in Western Australia. I do remember when the minister was the shadow minister health and he was the only person I saw from any area of the shadow ministry who came to my electorate and visited the South Perth community hospital, a prime example of a small community hospital that had their own board and was very effective in the outcomes of the delivery of health services to the local community. I thank the minister for his time coming to visit Swan at that particular time.

In regard to the question I have for the minister I just want to put it in some context and talk about some proposals for medical teaching in the electorate of Swan, partnerships that can be created between research institutions, teaching institutions in hospitals through research. Even though we do not have a major hospital in Swan, we have a major hospital that services a lot of people in Swan, particularly Belmont, which is the Royal Perth Hospital. That services a lot of people particularly from the lower SES area of Belmont, which is probably the second-lowest SES area in the whole state. I also want to mention medical research in the context of cancer and skin cancers, about which we are currently running an inquiry into through the House of Representatives health committee.

In regard to medical teaching in the electorate of Swan, I know that the minister is aware that Curtin University has put in a proposal to establish a medical school for teaching. I know you have been to Curtin University and you have met with. Also Senator Alan Eggleston, senator for Western Australia, and I have had numerous meetings with people from Curtin University and also in regards to strong support from within the community to have a medical school established for teaching at Curtin University. The proposal is unique, because it deals with a lot of Indigenous health problems as well in the northern part of Western Australia. I know no decision has been made as yet, but if the school was approved it would create medical services teaching, practising in research hub particularly in Bentley, which would become a town. There is a proposal for a town of Curtin which would be housed around the university which would probably house about 40,000 people. So it would be a great allied health area at Curtin University. It would be linked with the Biosciences Research Precinct at Curtin University, the Bentley Hospital, and also potentially a new private hospital on Curtin University campus down the track at some stage in the future. This hub would thrive on medical research and that is where we come back to the question, and any national Medical Research Future Fund would be extremely welcome, particularly if there was an establishment of that type of facility in my electorate of Swan, particularly at Curtin University.

The Bentley Hospital is heart of my electorate of Swan, another area of low SES. Bentley Health Services offer general health programs. They have acute medical, surgical, aged care, rehabilitation, maternity, general and specialist outpatient services, and a day therapy unit. They also have very good mental health program and an acute adult psychogeriatric unit, including a day hospital and community mental health services. The child and adolescent mental health service is an excellent area for in-patient care for adolescents and a residential program for children supported by an outreach program to the community. There is also a community health program, which includes maternal child health, school health and various community health sub-programs and centres throughout the catchment area.

Minister, we ran a local campaign to save the maternity service from an earlier Labor decision to scrap it. That was back under the previous state government. The obstetrics unit will now be reviewed after the opening of the Fiona Stanley Hospital. Back in 2011 we had the local Minister for Health, Kim Hames, out to assure the people in the Bentley area and the staff at the Bentley hospital that it would be reviewed in 2014, as promised and, if retention is justified by usage, that service will be retained. There are opportunities for partnerships between medical research institutions, teaching institutions and hospitals.

A world-class health system needs to be on the cutting edge of innovation technology and clinical breakthroughs. Can the minister please advise how measures in the budget will make long-term investments in Australia's health system?

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