Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been 75 days since the Leongatha Healthcare clinic closed, and patients are still waiting for access to critical medical records. We've had a very dedicated group of local general practitioners and broader medical administrative staff work around the clock to set up a new clinic. I want to commend their dedication to our community. But the fact remains that many patients from the old clinic are still waiting on their medical records. Just last week, I had a Leongatha resident contact my office. He's been fortunate enough to find a new doctor, but he still cannot access his medical records despite having serious multiple health issues. He's currently awaiting surgery. He described this situation in two simple words. He said, 'It's just absurd and it is unacceptable.' It is unacceptable, and it reflects the broader failure in the Victorian health system, where pressure across regional services and a lack of leadership by the state government has led to multiple examples of unresponsiveness and lack of accountability.

I'm calling for an urgent intervention from the health commissioner and the state and federal health ministers. I've written to the federal health minister, and I want to commend his office for helping in a number of sensitive and serious situations that have arisen during this time on this issue. But local people in my electorate deserve better. Danny O'Brien and Melina Bath, our two state MPs, have done an outstanding job. I want to acknowledge their tremendous efforts in sticking up for our community as well.

There are families in my electorate having to choose between gas and groceries right now because the costs of both are going up. We've got businesses who can't electrify their processes. We've got food manufacturers who can't electrify. They need gas. It is absolutely critical to their business operations. Right now, we have a huge amount of hypocrisy from the teals and the Greens on gas policy. I want to go through a number of MPs who have supported a policy of increasing taxes and royalties on the sector at the moment while also making anti-gas and anti-gas-expansion comments prior to this year. The exception to that is my well-respected colleague the member for Chifley. I disagree with him on parts of the policy that he has raised, but at least he's been consistent, unlike the teals and the Greens. There are hidden agendas, and behind those hidden agendas there are higher bills. I think Australians deserve better, because when activism drives policy Australians pay the price.

A Greens senator said, 'Blasting and new gas projects are environmental disasters and we must ban them.' That senator is now calling for an increase in taxes and royalties for the sector. Another Greens senator said: 'Gas companies are greedy and destructive. It's time to stop new gas projects.' We've got a teal senator who said: 'Gas is cooking our present. No more approvals. Protect future generations.' We've got an excommunicated Labor senator saying: 'We can't reach net zero with Labor's gas strategy. The transition off gas must happen faster.' We've got a teal MP in this House saying, 'Stop new gas fields.' We've got another teal MP in this place saying, 'We don't need more gas; we need smarter use and a faster transition to electrification.' Well, tell that to a food-manufacturing business in my electorate. Tell that to a family struggling to pay their gas bill. We've got another teal MP in this place saying: 'Labor's gas strategy betrays future generations. Expanding gas now wipes out climate progress.'

These teals are like to lecture regional communities and low-socioeconomic families. The Greens do as well. They're on a unity ticket on this issue. Australians deserve better. Families in my electorate deserve better. Gas is incredibly important right now for industry. It is in a very sensitive and precarious state. It is very important as far as affordability and reliability for families in my electorate. I want to take a stand against the Greens and the teals, who have no consideration for people doing it really tough right now or for manufacturing businesses and small businesses that need affordable and reliable gas. I commend the member for Hunter. We have different perspectives on things, but coming from a regional area he gets this issue as well.

Finally, I would just like to wish everyone in my electorate a happy Easter. Please stay safe on our roads.