Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (18:48): (2057) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Health. The action I seek is a commitment from the Labor government, by 30 November, to provide a rescue funding package to enable Cohealth GP services to stay open at Kensington, Collingwood and Fitzroy and to advocate to federal government for a longer-term, sustainable model for community health centres. Cohealth have announced they will be forced to end their GP and counselling services in these areas in December 2025 and to close their Collingwood clinic permanently in 2026. Cohealth offers a unique, free wraparound health service, and losing these services means 12,500 people in our community will lose access to affordable services they depend on.

These clinics see more than 46,000 patients every year, where nearly 70 per cent of those patients hold concession cards. If these closures go ahead, tens of thousands of people will lose access to their doctor and around 25 doctors and counsellors will lose their jobs. This is disgraceful at a time when demand for community health services is at an all-time high. With waitlists for health services ballooning in recent years, resulting in record delays, this is an unconscionable political choice. Infrastructure Victoria has made it clear that despite serving one in 10 Victorians, community health receives just 0.3 per cent of the state’s $2 billion health infrastructure budget. Nearly all community health organisations report having at least one building in poor condition or close to the end of its life, and currently less than 0.5 per cent of Victoria’s $27 billion health budget goes to community health, even though it is one of the most effective ways to improve outcomes and reduce pressure on hospitals. Minister, we know that funding for our community health services that support local communities should be prioritised. It avoids increased poverty, ill health, homelessness and hospital overloading, as well as providing access to health care. Access to health care should be free, local and accessible to everyone.