Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:55): (2271) My constituency question is to the Minister for Health. The Swifts Creek Bush Nursing Centre has provided 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service to our beautiful remote community despite a woeful lack of recognition and resource funding from government. Because funding has not increased, the committee of management has now discussed the terrible option of having to cut services back to Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, with no after-hours or weekend cover. Swifts Creek has no resident paramedic hours. Ambulance response times can exceed an hour, and ambulance community officers cannot administer emergency drugs or IV fluids. This means no local response for heart attacks, car accidents, maternity emergency, palliative care or urgent care as previously supplied by this amazing group of people. Minister, will you urgently address this funding failure and restore sustainable support for a 24-hour service at the Swifts Creek Bush Nursing Centre so this remote community is not left without essential care?