Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In recent weeks I was approached by Ms Nina Muller of Hastings. Nina set out her view that Hastings was in need of a Medicare facility as part of the existing Centrelink facility. She notes that Hastings is relatively poorly served by public transport and that the nearest Medicare offices were in either Mornington or Frankston. Mornington is not really accessible by public transport because of the hub and spoke system and there is no hub around to Mornington. This means that people have to travel to Frankston, which is a long trip. For many elderly residents it is not achievable so they have to wait some time in order to either make or receive their Medicare claim.

Her proposal is that Hastings develop a co-located Medicare facility with the existing Centrelink office. The Centrelink office was established in 2002. I was delighted to have had the opportunity to open it. I think it is a good proposal. It is one which I will be supporting. I have had the opportunity and taken the time to speak with the Minister for Human Services, the Hon. Senator Chris Ellison. He was very supportive, and he set out some of the requirements that we would need to establish in order to prove community demand. His fundamental position was very simple: in theory and in practice this should be achievable, but we as a community need to demonstrate that there is demand and desire for such a Medicare facility, serving Hastings, Somerville, Tyabb, Bittern, Crib Point and the surrounding community.

With Nina, I will be launching a petition asking the Minister for Human Services to consider a Medicare facility for Hastings as part of the Centrelink office. I would urge all local residents to take up the opportunity to sign the petition, to show that we have a demand. I think that this would be a great step forward. It is not a radical transformation, because we could use the existing Centrelink office, but it would be a sensible evolution. Therefore, my office and I, and Nina Muller, who is doing a fantastic job and has a great history as a community worker, will be distributing this petition to the shops of Hastings. I invite residents of Hastings, Tyabb, Bittern and Somerville to seek out such a petition, to sign up to it and to help in the partnership to achieve a Medicare facility for Hastings.