Thursday, 2 April 2026

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (19:23): (2487) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Health. HealthShare Victoria is a provider of procurement that assists with health services to get equipment and medicines and the like – goods and other things that hospitals and health services require. They play a critical role in ensuring that that actually happens. They arrange to source and provide the delivery of such items, but the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is having a far-reaching effect on the supplies of many things, and the increasing price of fuel is adding significant additional cost to the transport of essential goods. As I said, it is not only the fuel adding significant additional costs. Freight costs, delays in shipping and supply chain risks are all occurring at the one time in this very critical area. The essential items include medicines, medical equipment and devices, PPE, bed linen, bandages, needles, syringes, gloves – all things that are required in our hospitals and health services. So I ask the minister: given the uncertainty with what is going on and given the ongoing crisis that continues to unfold with no end in sight, what action has the government undertaken to shore up supplies, considering other states are placing significant large orders of equipment and medicines so that they can ensure that they receive equipment, devices, medicines and medical supplies for the treatment of patients to continue the care that they require?