Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Corio, Geelong's northern suburbs have above average rates of chronic disease, a high incidence of mental illness and significant outpatient requirements, and yet there are fewer local services available to support them. A strong healthcare system is a fundamental pillar of a productive and happy society, and so I am of the firm belief that reliable healthcare should be a consistent priority of any government. The previous Labor government committed $1 million to fund the essential development of a local health services plan for the north. The federal funding would have investigated the local and future health needs of Geelong's northern suburbs to enable better access to health services. This plan would have laid the foundation for growth of health services in the north and strengthened the capacity of the local health sector to support the diverse range of complex health needs which are increasingly prevalent in the northern suburbs. Sadly, the actions of the Abbott government clearly demonstrate they are not willing to make the health of our communities a priority and address the needs of Geelong's north. At a time when the Liberal government are effectively attempting to dismantle our Medicare system with the imposition of GP fees, there is a greater need than ever for the provision of better health services in the north of Geelong—particularly through the provision of an outpatients centre in Geelong's north.

This need was highlighted last week by the Geelong Advertiser as they told the stories of locals who have been victims of Geelong's struggling health system, having to travel to Ballarat and Werribee to seek faster immediate care. This is very clear indication that our health care system is not equipped for the needs of the north and swift action is required to prevent residents from continuing to be put in this position in the future.

We know Geelong's north is growing rapidly, with a planned 4000-home development at Lara West predicted to accommodate an additional 10,000 residents and other areas of the region constantly expanding, meaning there is even greater urgency to have a solid community health plan in place for the future.

The bulk of funding for the bricks and mortar of a health facility in the north will inevitably need to come from the state government. I believe the time has come for that funding to start to flow. There is no doubt there are a flood of projects in Geelong all desperate to secure vital state government dollars; however, there is no more important building block to a healthy community than a hospital. Any dollars we receive from the state government simply must be directed to a hospital in the north.

This is even more important because the Abbott government simply appears unwilling to invest in health. Persistently working to strip funding from our public hospitals, the government already plans to spend $400 million less over the next three years on public hospitals than what was committed under Labor. So, considering the government's approach to health, there is undoubtedly a huge challenge ahead for the north—a difficult challenge in which I am committed to remaining an advocate for because right now there is no greater community need in Geelong's north than better health services. (Time expired)