Page 1334 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 25 March 2009
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I notice that, in his motion, Mr Hanson refers in paragraph (2) to the current level of GP shortages and the reasons pertaining to this shortage and to how to arrest and reverse the decline in GP numbers in the short and the longer terms. If you talk to the Division of General Practice, they are concerned about the enormous cost to set up any practice, the return on investment and the deterrent that that is for people to actually practise their profession. It is critically important that the committee look at this. I note that Mr Doszpot, as someone from the business community, knows this, and I know that Mr Doszpot will be heavily interested in this. I will wait with anticipation to see the result and to see exactly the recommendations that the committee will make in regard to—
Members interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms Gallagher and Mr Seselja, your interjections are not even relevant to the debate. Mr Smyth has the floor, and he will be heard in silence.
MR SMYTH: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. When considering the issues raised in subparagraphs (2)(d) and (e), it is important to look beyond strictly the medical. We certainly have to look at the small business environment, the costs of setting up and how that is done. We took some excellent policies to the last election about the assistance that is required, and I am sure that Mr Doszpot will be able to table them before the committee. In our policy, a healthy choice, we understood, as the federal president of the division of GPs has said on many occasions, that there are so many impediments now to getting into your own practice as a GP that it is a deterrent and that the return on investment over the long term is not what it used to be.
I do not think any GP gets into it for the money; I do not think anybody becomes a doctor for the money. Clearly, you want to care for people and you want to help people when they are in trouble, particularly with poor health. GPs are fundamental to primary healthcare; they are fundamental to keeping people out of the hospital system; they are the first port of call for so many people with physical health conditions, mental health conditions and personal problems; they are the ear that you go and speak to; they offer advice that people take with a great deal of seriousness. But there are other things beyond just being a GP, beyond the medical system and beyond business aspects of being a GP, and I look forward to seeing the results of the work of the committee.
I know that Mr Doszpot has an intense interest in this as the chair of the committee, and there will be much discussion on it. It is important we get some reasonable recommendations to ultimately assist everybody in the ACT. If we can get people into GPs quicker, we can take pressure off the health system and, long term as the population ages, we can do something to assist in containing the costs of the health budget in the ACT.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women) (4.42): I do not want to delay the
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