Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Reynolds for her question. I have been listening to those in the health sector for quite some time about the current system for workforce programs. I am very pleased to advise the Senate that it is this government, unlike the previous Labor government, that is working towards fixing those issues and making sure we get the right doctors with the right skills to the right places. The first thing we are going to do is fix the current system for workforce programs, the ASGC-RA system—the failed system under the Labor government. We are replacing that with the modified Monash model. This will ensure that we can get much greater detail into consideration of those areas where we are trying to encourage our doctors to go. That system will allow that greater detail to be utilised.

I will be putting that towards first the GP Rural Incentives Program, appointing an expert panel to consult with the sector to ensure that we make the changes right—that they most effectively and appropriately deliver what we are trying to do, and that is getting those doctors to those areas where we need them most. We are also updating the current district of workforce shortage system. This is an outdated system that has been using old figures for far too long. It will be updated to better reflect, on the ground, how those numbers look and how they work out in those regional areas. We will also be expanding the Bonded Medical Places program to cover not only areas of district of workforce shortage in terms of return of service but also towns of under 15,000 people. We know that all of these are going to contribute greatly to improving the ability to encourage our doctors to areas where we need them most, particularly out in those smaller rural and regional areas.