Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's no secret that regional areas like my electorate of Gilmore on the New South Wales South Coast face a number of challenges when it comes to accessing quality health services close to home. I'm a passionate believer that local people should not have to travel hours to receive the same quality of care as those in the city. That's why I've been a strong advocate for many improvements to our local health infrastructure.

When it comes to alcohol and drug addiction, particularly for young people, we know that accessing support close to home can make a big difference to health outcomes. That's why, just last week, I was really delighted to represent the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, to officially open the Walawaani Youth-Specific Detoxification and Rehabilitation Facility near Batemans Bay. Run by Mission Australia, this facility received $8 million from the Australian government's Community Health and Hospitals Program. It is well known that alcohol and drug misuse doesn't just affect the one person; it can be disastrous to families and communities. Walawaani will provide a safe place for younger people to overcome addiction in a state-of-the-art centre, with youth-specific alcohol and drug case management, counselling and community aftercare. There are also residential living skills, education and sport and recreation programs, offering a holistic approach to care.

Having facilities like this on the South Coast near Batemans Bay allows vulnerable younger people to receive treatment and support for alcohol and drug misuse closer to their homes and families, and in their communities. Even the name Walawaani has very special meaning. It's a local Indigenous word which means, 'We hope you have a safe journey.' Mission Australia worked with the Aboriginal community in the Batemans Bay area, including with Dhurga linguists. The name has also received the blessing of the Walbunja elders. How special is that! It's local health care for local people, and I am proud to be delivering that.

Last week, there was more good news for the Batemans Bay region when we opened the expressions of interest for the new Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. People in regional areas like ours should be able to access good quality, affordable local health care, and our bulk-billed, urgent care clinics will provide just that. Non-life-threatening emergencies make up over 50 per cent of total presentations to hospitals in New South Wales. These emergencies can often be time-consuming for patients as they wait for treatment, and they add pressure to our already overstretched hospital emergency departments. Urgent care clinics will significantly reduce the pressure on our local hospitals by treating patients with urgent but non-life-threatening emergencies, operating extended hours seven days a week, ensuring that local people receive the high-quality, affordable health care they need when they need it. That's another promise we made that I am delighted to deliver on.

Last week was a busy one for health in the Batemans Bay region. It also saw the first sod turned on the new Eurobodalla Hospital. The community has waited a long time for this, and it should have been a proud community moment. But I think the New South Wales Liberal government forgot to check their Rolodex, because—whoops!—they forgot to invite the local state and federal members. That's right—neither I nor the member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland, were invited along to this pivotal local moment. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, the Liberals just saw it as another politicking moment in the lead-up to the election. Perhaps they were worried that we might have asked them to match New South Wales Labor's commitment to open this hospital at level 4 status—something the community has been asking for for years and years. Before being elected as the Bega MP, Dr Holland was a pivotal member of that movement. He is one of the key people responsible for the fact the Liberals even agreed to build a new hospital in the first place. Leaving him out of this event is just shameful.

But the shame doesn't stop there. The Liberals are also trying to distract from the fact they refused to build the much-needed radiation therapy centre. Thanks to people like Cathy Hurst bravely sharing her story, we know the impact this is having. The Albanese government has delivered on our promise of $8 million to fund it, but the New South Wales Liberals are standing in the way. No-one should have to go through what Cathy Hurst has gone through to receive her cancer treatment ever again. It is shameful, and I won't stop until the community gets the health services it deserves.