Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the 3,000 Phillip Island residents who have organised and signed a petition to ensure that the former Warley Hospital site is either purchased or leased by the state government to create an accident and emergency centre in addition to a bulk-billing clinic. Phillip Island has been in desperate need of better health services since the closure of Warley Hospital, following the change of government at federal level. Warley had run well. It had run with federal assistance. That federal assistance was withdrawn. The hospital was forced into liquidation. The building remains a perfectly serviceable 14-bed hospital. It retains much of its equipment and space, facilities and structure. It should be the site of an accident and emergency centre and the petition calls upon the state government to bring this accident and emergency centre into being. It calls upon the state government to ensure that there is a bulk-billing medical centre on the site of Warley Hospital and that the losses which the island has suffered in its health services after the closure of Warley Hospital will be reversed. I support and endorse and will fight for and believe in those things which this petition supports.

I also want to speak about the Balnarring pedestrian crossing. Balnarring is a beautiful town on the edge of Western Port in my electorate. There has indeed been a very strong need for a pedestrian crossing across Frankston-Flinders Road. I know it well. My wife’s family spent much time living in Balnarring. The crossing would allow safe access between Balnarring Village Shopping Centre and the community hall, kindergarten and school. It would help parents who are escorting their children to the playground, it would help parents who are walking their children to the kindergarten and it would help seniors who need to cross the road. I am delighted that the petition which was prepared by residents, with some support and suggestions from my office, has been passed to the state government. We have received a response from the state, which is heartening, that in light of the concern VicRoads has been instructed to monitor pedestrian safety and to determine the need for improvements in this area. We will continue the fight, we will continue to push and we will continue to battle to ensure that the Balnarring pedestrian crossing is successful so that there is adequate protection for local residents.

The last thing I want to mention is that I am delighted to hear that the people of Somerville, the workers and management of Inghams, along with Neale Burgess, the state MP, and also with some help, hopefully, from me, have been successful in securing a long-term future for the Inghams chicken factory which was burnt down recently. I thank the state for their support on Neale’s request. I thank the management for agreeing—(Time expired)