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Ms SHING Eastern Victoria

MEMBERS STATEMENTS

Federal health funding

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Federal health funding

Ms SHING (Eastern Victoria) (10:29:48) — It is a sign of the disregard of the federal government — the coalition — for Victoria and for regional Victoria when we look at the cuts to health and hospital funding which it has imposed to the tune of over $2 billion across the state. In Gippsland in particular the region stands to lose almost $97 million — the equivalent of 324 doctors or 762 nurses. Our hospitals and healthcare services cannot afford to lose this funding, and whilst we are doing everything we possibly can through record investments in health funding and in infrastructure upgrades, it seems that those in Canberra are too busy taking cheap pot shots at each other to focus on the things that regional Victorians and Gippslanders in particular need and deserve as our population grows. It is an absolute disgrace, and we really need the commonwealth coalition to come to the party, to stop obsessing over what is happening in Queensland and in New South Wales and to start delivering.