Page 2028 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2017
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The demand for these services has grown. As we heard in annual reports hearings, presentations have risen from when they first opened, from 15,237 presentations in 2010-11 to 33,713 presentations in 2015-16. I am pleased to see that in this year’s budget we are delivering on our commitment to expand the network of walk-in centres by committing a significant investment of $14 million to build more of these centres across Canberra.
The investment in the budget includes the design of the Weston Creek region walk-in centre. I am pleased to see that this service will become available to south-side residents in Weston Creek, Molonglo and Woden, in my electorate, in the future. Establishing a centre in the Weston Creek region will provide all people on the south side with improved access to free, fast and convenient health care. Our investment will also help to reduce pressure on our primary healthcare services to ensure that our emergency department, which is one of the busiest in Australia, can deal with more serious presentations and referrals.
We know that it can be difficult to find a bulk-billing GP in Canberra, particularly on the south side. We know from statistics that on average in the ACT 68.1 per cent of people were bulk-billed in and out of hospital, which is much lower than the national figures. Our government has taken on board these statistics, we have listened to the community, and we are taking action in this budget. We are delivering on our commitment to encourage better access to bulk-billing GPs in Canberra’s south.
And the budget has invested more to provide access to GPs and allied healthcare services to meet the demand of our growing city One million dollars will be made available to bulk-billing GPs and bulk-billing clinics to expand their practice or to hire more health professionals. This will extend to allied health professionals as well. The rationale behind this grants scheme is to allow these services to build upon and expand their practices and healthcare options for Canberrans.
Through this investment, ACT Labor and our government will be working with established healthcare sector partners in the ACT. We have seen the success of the health cooperative models across our city, and this investment will improve access to this type of bulk-billing practice. These grants will seek to ease the burden of seeing a doctor for Canberrans so that everyone can enjoy access to affordable, quality health care.
Health care has always been a priority for ACT Labor, and we have always invested in quality healthcare infrastructure, particularly at our hospitals. Through the budget, the ACT government will also deliver on our commitment to provide better health care for women, youth and children in our community. As part of this, we are investing almost $70 million to expand the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. This expansion will also help us to meet the growing needs of the community and demand for maternity services as our city continues to develop. The funding, over four years, will provide for the detailed planning and design of the expansion, as well as construction to deliver a range of new services to the Centenary hospital, for completion due in 2020-21.
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