Thursday, 23 June 2022

Broadmeadows health services

Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (17:28): (6455) My adjournment request is to the Minister for Health. The action I seek is a report on how the government is helping healthcare workers in the electorate of Broadmeadows. With Victoria’s healthcare workers continuing to do exceptional work to protect the community, the Andrews government is providing more support for the sector as it prepares for one of our busiest winters. The landmark healthcare worker winter retention and surge payments, alongside other practical help, including free meals, will soon flow to Victoria’s healthcare workers in much-needed areas and will help to attract new workers and retain those critically important staff. This $350 million package will offer payments of $3000 to all staff working in public hospitals and ambulance services, including nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals, paramedics, ward clerks and patient service assistants, and I know from personal experience, when I had to take a loved one to an emergency department, the nurses came up and said this was outstanding. They are delighted and relieved.

More than 440 international healthcare workers have joined public hospitals since August last year, while up to 7000 healthcare workers will be trained and hired under the $12 billion pandemic repair plan. In addition, the government is taking pressure off the system through measures such as free vaccines against influenza for Victorians throughout June, an expansion of the virtual ED initiative and more funding for treatment at home through the Better at Home program.

The Victorian budget is investing more than $12 billion to make patients priority one after the global pandemic placed health systems under unprecedented pressure. The pandemic repair plan will deliver them more staff, better hospitals and first-class care, and I am delighted the Broadmeadows Hospital will become of one of the eight rapid-access hubs across the state, streamlining equipment and staff and increasing the number of surgeries that can be performed each day. This is vital and important. The Andrews government will deliver $60 million for the new Broadmeadows Health Service and the centre of excellence, and this is the first stage of revitalising Kangan Institute’s landmark campus in Broadmeadows and training local people for local jobs.

As the last MP standing and continuing to fight for the people who need it most, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Minister for Health for all he has done and all it has taken during the time of pandemic from him and his family, and all the other ministers, the parliamentary secretaries, the MPs across the chamber, the Speaker, the staff, all our advisers and everybody who makes a contribution to making the Parliament work. I just want to make sure that people come back safe and well after the break. Let us make sure we see each other returning when the hurly-burly is done and the battles are lost and won. Good luck.