Wednesday, 8 February 2023

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister guarantee that Mildura Base Public Hospital, Mallee Track Health and Community Service and Robinvale District Health Services will retain independent boards and governance and not be merged under this government?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Premier to come to order.

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (14:32): I thank the member for her question. I know she has only recently arrived in this place and may well not know that in fact it was a Liberal–National government that privatised Mildura hospital, and it was the Andrews Labor government that brought it back into public hands. So let us be clear: there would be no public hospital in Mildura if it were not for the Andrews Labor government. Let us be perfectly clear –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the member asked a very direct question, asking for a guarantee. The minister, I take it, is providing more context, but I would ask the minister if she would return back to the question.

Daniel Andrews: On the point of order, Speaker, the member for Mildura, as she is perfectly entitled to, has asked a question about the Mildura public hospital and the governance of the Mildura public hospital. As a public hospital, and it has not always been a public hospital, the minister is perfectly entitled under the standing orders to go to exactly that – the governance, the ownership, the fact that Mildura public hospital is for patients, not profits – in her answer.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health was being relevant.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Thank you very much. As I was pointing out, we now have a public board managing a public hospital. They are appointed by me, as the minister, but they are an independent board who are able to have conversations with other health services whenever and wherever they like. But let me say this to you: it is very, very important – very important – that the new member for Mildura does not fall into the trap of the member for Lowan, who deliberately went out to court fear and concern in her communities to the detriment of the health of her –

David Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, I would ask you to bring the minister back to answering the question. Question time is not the time to attack the opposition, and I would ask the minister to please come back to answering a very important question about ruling out privatisation of these hospitals.

The SPEAKER: I do ask the minister to come back to the Mildura hospital.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I have completed my answer.

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:35): On behalf of concerned communities, can you guarantee that by maintaining the independence of health services in the north-west corner of Victoria there will not be a loss of services such as childcare and aged care services in Ouyen that are run by Mallee Track Health and Community Service?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (14:36): The Andrews Labor government continues to make all decisions informed by the needs of communities from right across Victoria. From Mildura to Swan Hill to Ouyen we will keep delivering for the people of rural and regional Victoria, and can I say we will not be privatising aged care services. We will not privatise health services. We believe in public health services for all.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask you to bring the member back to the question that was asked. It was a very narrow question. Can she guarantee the services currently offered by Mallee Track will continue to be offered into the future and those important services, including child care, will continue to be provided? I ask the minister to come back to answering that question. Can she guarantee it or not?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: A point of order is not an opportunity to repeat the question. I ask the minister to come back to the question that was asked.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I will be very clear. Our government is not in the business of cutting services –

Brad Rowswell: On a further point of order, Speaker, members are entitled to be heard in silence. The member for Lowan was on her feet legitimately raising a point of order and she was not able to do so in silence because of the wall of noise being perpetrated at her by those on the government benches. I would ask you, Speaker, in further opportunities when those points of order are raised, to please do your best to keep the government members especially in order.

The SPEAKER: I think that there has been disruption on both sides of the chamber today, and I do not place blame on either side for that. Obviously I would ask all members to be respectful of those on their feet, as I have said consistently through question time today. That was not a point of order.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I can assure the member for Mildura that our government is not in the business of cutting, closing or privatising services to rural and regional Victoria, in direct contrast to the record of the National Party in this place.