Health system
Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Health. Oliver is two years old. Having suffered severe tonsillitis since birth his doctors advised that his tonsils were abnormally large and needed to be removed. Oliver has been waiting for an appointment to see an ear, nose and throat specialist since December 2020. During that time his condition has significantly impacted his quality of life. He constantly suffers colds and infections, can only eat soft foods and winces in pain when eating, has trouble sleeping and now needs to see a speech therapist. I raised Oliver’s situation with the minister on 8 July, yet in the minister’s response last Friday she indicated Oliver had attended an ENT specialist appointment that provided no date in relation to vital surgery. Oliver’s father was told his son would be on a three-month wait list for surgery. That was more than four months ago. How is it fair that a two-year-old child who is unable to eat, sleep or speak properly is still waiting after 18 months to receive life-changing surgery?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:17): Can I say firstly how pleased I am that Oliver has received his ear, nose and throat appointment with a specialist. Again, I invite the member, subject of course to her having the permission of Oliver’s parents, to write to me, and I am happy to follow up.
Ms Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, in the letter the minister sent me at 8.36 pm on Friday—
The SPEAKER: Member for Evelyn, that is not a point of order. The member for Evelyn will resume her seat. You have been here for four years. You should know that that is not a point of order.
Ms THOMAS: Again I will point the member on the other side to not just the challenges that our healthcare system have experienced but, more importantly, the plan that we are implementing right now in order to deliver more planned surgeries in our public system than were being delivered prepandemic. Of course you cannot do this unless you work hand in hand with your healthcare workforce. That is what we have been doing right through the pandemic. I might say this: we have done this, and we have kept doing this. It has been very disappointing that at every step of the way those on the other side of the house have done everything possible either to denigrate the health advice that has been delivered or to denigrate the ideas that have come up from the workforce in order to deal with the challenges. They have rubbished our ideas. They called it a ‘socialist manoeuvre’ to deliver 15 000 additional public surgeries in our public healthcare system. Our government is implementing our plan, and I am very confident that only an Andrews Labor government can deliver the healthcare system and service that Victorians deserve.
Ms VALLENCE (Evelyn) (14:19): Victoria’s health system under this tired Labor government has failed Oliver and his family.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: Order! Questions will be heard in silence.
Ms VALLENCE: This tired Labor government has failed Oliver and his family. Oliver’s health problems are taking an extreme emotional toll on Oliver and his parents, creating mental health issues for them. What assurances can the minister provide to Oliver’s parents that their son will finally receive the vital surgery that Oliver so desperately needs without further delay?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:20): I thank the member for her supplementary question. It was very interesting listening to the Premier of New South Wales, Dom Perrottet, the other day. This is what he had to say in relation to the experiences of our healthcare system in relation to New South Wales: ‘We’ve seen in our state over the past 10 years a 30 per cent increase in presentations in our emergency departments, and that is not a unique experience, that is happening around the nation and around the world’. But here is the difference: here on this side of the house the Andrews Labor government has a plan to repair our health system, to increase the number of planned surgeries that are being delivered in this state, to massively invest in our workforce and to bring in 10 000 nurses, who will receive the equivalent of their HECS courses as a scholarship. Only our government has a plan.
Ms Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was quite narrow about surgery and the surgery no longer being delayed for Oliver, who cannot eat, sleep or speak properly. I would ask you to ask the minister to be relevant to the question.
The SPEAKER: The member was being relevant. It was about assurances around receiving surgery.