John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Friday the 13th does have its good side. Last Friday in Bathurst, Aboriginal health took a step forward when our Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, took the time when travelling from the coast to Broken Hill to drop in and officially open the Currajong Aboriginal Health Centre in Parkes. Lachlan Smith and his wife Noor bought land there, and they worked together with Amanda Corcoran, the project officer from the Parkes shire, and Keven Bloomfield and Scott Turnbull from the Aboriginal working party in Parkes. They now have something like four or five doctors working out of the centre. This is an opportunity for Aboriginal people in the region—and, I hope, for others. I said to them that they will measure their success by the number of people from outside the Aboriginal community that want to avail themselves of the services at that facility—and I am sure that will happen. I thank Sussan for taking the time to call in and underline the fact that closing the gap starts with health.

Also that day I opened the Dudley Private Hospital's new hydrotherapy pool. Our government put over $1 million into this. I have to say, though, that Ramsay Health Care, who own Dudley Private Hospital, have a very proud reputation in dealing with rehabilitation. In fact, I would say that Dudley Private Hospital in Orange is the most serious rehabilitation centre from the Blue Mountains to Adelaide, not including Adelaide. It is a very big area.

It is an enormous thing. It is about rehabilitation; that is, it is for people recovering from operations, and, obviously, for older people, but there are any number of reasons why you might need a hydrotherapy pool to assist with rehabilitation. As one of the people who work there said to me: 'It is almost as much a mental thing, and people feeling free.' One person in a wheelchair was lowered into the pool and was then able to stand up and walk around. So it is an amazing thing, and I have to congratulate the government. I also have to congratulate Trevor Matheson and Fran Gearon who are in charge of this in Orange.