Friday, 14 August 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:03): (2528) My question is to the Minister for Health. Melbourne’s south-east is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, but it does not have a community live-in hospice. I recently visited Palliative Care South East, alongside Shadow Minister for Health Georgie Crozier, which is proposing a 15-bed community hospice to ensure compassionate, high-quality care remains accessible for those who need it most. The south-east catchment is growing toward 1 million people within a decade, but it currently has just 21 hospital-based palliative care beds, against a benchmark requirement of 57. The unmet need is growing faster than the population, and 63 Victorians are dying each day without the palliative care they need. Minister, when are you going to invest funding to establish a live-in community hospice in the south-east to reduce the pressure on hospitals?

Sitting suspended 1:04 pm until 2:01 pm.