PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms ALDRED (Monash—Opposition Whip) (11:19): No-one in the House disputes the importance of accessible health care. Every Australian deserves timely access to a doctor when they are sick or injured.But this motion asks us to pat the government on the back, rather than ask whether these clinics are delivering the right outcomes in the right areas. That is where this government has got it wrong.

The government boasts there are now 137 Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia. It's interesting to note ABC analysis from March last year, before the last election, which showed two-thirds were in Labor seats and a quarter were in seats under a five per cent margin. While this government counts ribbon cuttings, my constituents count kilometres.

For many people in Monash, the nearest urgent care clinic is more than an hour's drive away. I recently heard from a constituent in Yanakie in South Gippsland, who became unwell on a Sunday. She needed to see a doctor and obtain medication.

This working mum could have presented to an emergency department but had no idea whether she would be waiting one hour or 10. My constituent had no certainty she could see her local GP the next day, where appointments are often booked weeks in advance. Her only realistic option was to drive all the way from South Gippsland to Warragul.

That is not accessible health care. It is a system forcing regional Australians to choose between a long drive, an unknown wait in an ED or hoping their condition won't get worse. Paul, from Inverloch, has written to me about the ongoing struggle of getting a GP appointment in the Bass Coast area.

He told me this is no longer just his problem; it affects the whole community. People are now booking appointments weeks in advance because they fear they won't be able to see a doctor when they actually need one. As Paul said, 'I understand why they do this, but it doesn't help the situation', and Paul's right.

That is a clear sign our primary healthcare system is under immense strain. While my electorate of Monash has one urgent care clinic, many of my regional colleagues have no clinics anywhere in their electorates, which, in many cases, are equal to the size of a European country. This government is very fond of quoting the national figure of 137 clinics, but I've got to say those numbers mean very little when entire regional electorates are left without one single clinic.

The fundamental problem with this government's approach is that it focuses on creating a parallel system instead of strengthening the one Australians already rely on every day. The rollout has also drawn experienced doctors and nurses away from GP clinics and public hospitals, putting additional pressure on workforce shortages. The government cannot create new clinics without finding new doctors.

The government should not simply move healthcare workers from one waiting room to another. These clinics do not provide continuity of care. Patients are often treated by doctors who do not know their medical history, and follow-up care becomes fragmented.

There is no substitute for your local GP who knows your history, your medications and your ongoing health needs. The medical profession itself has raised concerns. A study published in the Australian Journal of General Practice found doctors reporting excessive patient numbers, understaffing, long waits and, in many clinics, only one doctor on duty.

The same study highlighted limited access to imaging and pathology, particularly after hours, meaning many patients still required referral to hospital. That hardly seems like the seamless healthcare system the government claims to have created. There is also the question of value for taxpayers, particularly in regional Australia.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has warned that the average urgent care clinic consultation costs Medicare more than five times as much as a standard GP consultation. The value of that funding could be invested directly into existing GP practice and would represent employing more doctors, extending opening hours and improving urgent access within local communities.

That would strengthen primary care rather than compete with it. Regional Australia continues to miss out on a range of issues under this federal Labor government, and health care is a prime example.