House debates

Monday, 17 October 2016

Statements by Members

Catherine McAuley Centre

1:41 pm

Photo of Joanne RyanJoanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise today to update the House on the great work being done by the Catherine McAuley subacute centre at the Mercy Hospital in Werribee. I stood in this chamber in June 2014 because cuts to the national partnerships funding delivered by this government put the operation of this centre under threat. The Gillard government built this centre. They committed $30 million in 2011 and the centre opened in February 2014.

I have been there on tours before but in this past week I had a personal reason to attend. My mother was admitted to the Catherine McAuley Centre. She asked me today to tell the House what a wonderful job this centre is doing, how wonderful the staff have been and the great care she is receiving. When we as family and community members interact personally with the services provided by government it gives us an acute insight into the importance of government services and the importance of us being in this place and, on this side of the chamber, standing up to ensure that those services receive the funding they need so our communities get the services that they need. The important work here limits the number of readmissions after discharge. They do excellent work. (Time expired)