Tuesday, 17 March 2020

Bush nursing centres

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (13:54): Bush nursing centres are the lifeblood of some of the smallest communities in rural and regional Victoria. I have got four bush nursing centres—in Balmoral, Harrow, Dartmoor and Lake Bolac—and they all do an amazing job in being critical providers of health care in those local communities. As we come to this outbreak of coronavirus, there is no doubt that people will rely heavily on our bush nursing centres, whether it is about providing information and advice on what they need to do in the event of an outbreak or whether it is about providing supportive care, and particularly out in the communities, making sure that our elderly and most vulnerable residents are helped out when it comes to the provision of food, support and even toilet paper. That is why I am concerned about a big question mark around funding for bush nursing centres into the future.

It was fantastic to see that the government has finally agreed to extend the funding for primary care partnerships until the end of the year. We know that everybody who works within that PCP sector does an amazing job. They save lives, and they are there for you in times of crisis. They are brilliant in times of drought, through the locust plagues we have seen in the area in the past and floods, so let us make sure we support our PCPs but ensure their funding goes well beyond the end of the year. But let us also make sure we support our bush nursing centres. If we do not continue the funding for bush nursing centres, there are critical areas of Victoria where Victorians will not have an alternative for health support. We must support our bush nursing centres.