THIS week has been a slap in the face for patients in Sunraysia and the two universities that offer education here.
As the Federal Member for Mallee and Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, I was looking forward to hearing who the successful applicants for Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for medical students would be.
Monash University’s bid for 10 regional CSPs, which would be matched by the university, was an important joint application between La Trobe University and Monash. I worked with both universities to encourage this partnership, and will continue to do so until we have a better outcome.
Sadly Mildura was denied, just as the State Labor Government has denied Mildura a Cath Lab.
Fundamentally, both state and federal Labor have left Mallee patients high and dry.
Labor has abandoned Mildura and over 100,000 people across our tri-state area who would benefit from this training initiative and therefore sustainable health workforce into the future.
Surely if Labor are not going to invest in primary and acute health care in Mildura, they should invest in helping us grow our own workforce?
As Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, I support this originally Coalition policy for CSP places to go to the regions – including in Victoria at Ararat and Warrnambool through Deakin University.
With Ararat just over 200km from Melbourne and Warrnambool only 256km from the state capital, I lament the lost opportunity for Sunraysia.
Mildura is just over 540km away, an almost six-hour drive – significantly more isolated than those towns.
The Andrews-Allan Labor Government even deems Mildura “sub-regional” – a cop-out to avoid delivering a life-saving Cath Lab to the people of Sunraysia.
From training our future workforce to facilities that can prevent needless premature deaths in our residents, we deserve more.
It is a matter of equity and fairness.
