Senate debates Questions without Notice
Rural and Regional Australia: Workforce Shortages
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
2:55 pm
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Watt. Workforce shortages are currently putting serious pressure on Australia's healthcare system, particularly in regional, rural and remote Australia. Considering this critical issue, why did your government not put 887 regional visas on the priority list, instead putting international workers who want to live and work in regional Australia to the bottom of the visa pile?
Bridget McKenzie Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Because you're such a friend of the regions!
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Thank you, Senator Ruston, and thank you, Senator McKenzie, for recognising that I am such a friend of the regions. I'm glad you recognise this.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
The:
Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator McKenzie.
Bridget McKenzie Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Senator Watt has misrepresented me to the Senate.
Sue Lines President
Senator McKenzie, what is your point? There's no point of order, thank you.
Government senator s interjecting—
Order on my right! Minister, please continue.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Sometimes Senator McKenzie says things before she thinks them through, and that was—
Sue Lines President
Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Ruston has asked a serious question, and she's entitled to a response, so please direct your answers to her question.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Senator Ruston does ask a serious question, because we know—and anyone in this chamber who spends any time in regional Australia, whether it be me, Senator Ruston, Senator McKenzie or many others, knows—that, for many years, there has been a serious problem for regional Australians accessing health care. I've experienced it myself—
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
It's on a matter of relevance. I was actually asking the minister about 887 visas and why your government has not prioritised 887 visas, which directly impact rural and regional Australia. I'd ask you to draw his attention to my question.
Sue Lines President
You also talked about the crisis of health in regional and rural areas, and I believe the minister is being relevant. If he's not, I will direct him to the question.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
As I was saying, there has been a serious shortage of health care in rural and regional Australia for at least 10 years. One of the reasons for that has been severe workforce shortages—workforce shortages that this government is working on and acting on. In the short time that we've been in office, the Albanese government has increased regional visas from 11,200 to 34,000 this financial year. Those who attended the Jobs and Skills Summit, which of course doesn't include any member of the Liberal Party but does include the Leader of the National Party, Mr Littleproud, would have seen that this government is committed to increasing the regional migration intake to 34,000 just for this financial year. It is our full intention to deliver these visas, which will go some way to assisting with the regional workforce shortages that Senator Ruston asks about. But, indeed, the regional workforce shortages that we see across every industry in regional Australia are yet another legacy of the poor planning and mismanagement of the former government. If there's one example in this space that really exemplifies those failures, let's not forget that the former government left a visa backlog of one million visas. That's one million people waiting for visas to be processed. We've got it down to 600,000, and we're going to go further. (Time expired)
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
2:58 pm
In my electorate, a local GP living and working in the community is currently waiting for his 887 regional visa to be processed, but, like other applicants for this visa, he's been knocked down to the bottom of the pile by your government. The constituent is providing essential primary care, and his wife is a nurse, who is equally providing critical care in our community. Why has your government neglected my regional community and others across Australia when they need to have doctors and nurses in their local area?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Senators:
Opposition senators interjecting—
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
2:59 pm
Senator Ruston, the answer to your question is very simple, and it's a seven-digit number—one million. One million visas—that was the backlog that we inherited from your government in visa applications. One million people, who had applied for visas to work in health care and a range of other industries—
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
The minister is obviously choosing not to answer my question.
Honourable senators interjecting—
Sue Lines President
Order on my right and left. Senator Ruston, I believe it's a point of order.
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
It's a point of order on relevance. This is a very serious issue for regional communities. I'm talking about 887 visas and why your government has chosen not to prioritise them.
Sue Lines President
Senator Ruston, I believe the minister has been answering your question. I'll continue to listen closely. Minister.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
I do know Senator Ruston's electorate. In fact, I had the pleasure of joining her to meet with people who had experienced floods in the Renmark region just before Christmas. I'm not surprised that Renmark and that wider region are suffering from extreme workforce shortages in the health area.
Sue Lines President
Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Ruston?
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
Your gratuitous response is not very becoming.
The:
Senator Ruston, what is it?
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
But on relevance—
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
I asked you specifically about 887 visas—
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
Do you know what an 887 visa is?
Sue Lines President
Senator Ruston, please resume your seat! When I give you the call don't be disrespectful. If you're calling a point of order, stand and make that clear—don't just launch into an attack on a minister because you don't like the answer to your question. Minister, please continue.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
I'm very familiar with the issue. It was obviously in the various newspapers today. The point I'm making is that, unlike the former government, this government is actually dealing with the extreme visa processing backlog that it inherited. As I said, in the short time we've been in office we have got the backlog of visa applications down to 600,000 from the one million we inherited. How did we do that? By actually putting more staff in the system to process those visas. Staff to support the visa system decreased by 20 per cent from 2015-16 until we came to government. That's the answer to the question. (Time expired)
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
3:01 pm
N (—) (): Minister, will you please advise this chamber whether your government will commit to adding 887 visas to the priority list for processing, as you have done for the same workforce in city areas?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
3:02 pm
I am absolutely happy to commit to the statement that our government will always run our migration program in the national interest. Of course it's in the national interest to ensure that regional and rural people can get health care.
Sue Lines President
Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Ruston?
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
I have a point of order on relevance. I was very tight in my question. I just asked the minister whether he would commit to the adding of 887 visas to the priority list in the same way as they have in the cities.
Sue Lines President
Thank you, Senator Ruston. I direct the minister to the question. Minister.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Again, this government will always run our migration program in the national interest and part of that obviously is about ensuring that rural and regional Australians have access to the health care they deserve and the health care that they did not get for the 10 years of the Liberal and National Party government. It is the Albanese government that is in the process of rebuilding our health system, whether it be in the cities or our regions.
Honourable senators interjecting—
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
I have been out there in regional Australia doorknocking people who couldn't get GP appointments for three or four weeks.
Sue Lines President
Minister, please resume your seat. Minister Wong?
He hasn't finished. I was calling order. Thank you. But we got there. Minister.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Sadly for rural and regional Australians, difficulty in accessing health care is not a new problem. This is something that goes back—
Anne Ruston SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
I've a point of order—one last attempt at asking the minister whether he'll confirm whether 887 visas will be included.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Again, the evidence is already in that this government is taking action to clear the backlog of visas that was left by the former government that will benefit rural and regional Australians for health care and will benefit employers right across rural and regional Australia. (Time expired)
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
President, I ask that further questions be placed on notice.