Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday this week, Senator Boswell asked me a question about the Queensland Minister for Health. I undertook to provide Senator Boswell with any available information. There have been several media reports with regard to a nurse being raped on a remote island in the Torres Strait, who was then told she would lose pay if she left the island. The government takes workforce safety and security very seriously.

May I offer my personal sympathies to the woman who was subjected to this attack. According to a Queensland health report, there have been significant long-term problems with regard to maintenance and security of the medical premises, the nurse’s accommodation and phone services. Minister Roxon’s department has been in contact with the Queensland chief nurse to offer assistance and support in addressing the issue. I am advised that the Queensland government has instigated urgent action on repairs and maintenance work to improve security across all island health facilities and initiated a review into departmental procedures in support of managing critical situations involving staff working on distant islands.

The government understands that the Queensland Director-General for Health and the Queensland Chief Nursing Officer were scheduled to visit the island to ensure the requested improvements were being carried out.