❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health about the potential loss of a bulk-billing GP service at Fremantle Hospital and the impact on disadvantaged residents. The Minister deflects by referencing past Labor government decisions, but assures negotiations are underway to maintain a clinic in Fremantle.
AnsweredQoN 469Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FREMANTLE
HOSPITAL — BULK-BILLING GENERAL PRACTICE
469. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the general practice service at Fremantle
Hospital, which Dr Trenna Turner has operated on that site for over two
decades.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Department of Health has failed to award a tender to
operate the practice despite at least two applicants expressing interest,
including the current operator?
(2) Can the
minister also confirm that negotiations with the existing hospital general
practice have broken down and that it will now relocate to East Fremantle,
effectively leaving inner-city disadvantaged residents without a GP service?
(3) Given that
many Alma Street patients depend on this clinic and that the minister will be
closing down the emergency department, what will the minister do to ensure that
Fremantle has a hospital-based, bulk-billing day clinic for the people,
particularly the disadvantaged people, of Fremantle?
HOSPITAL — BULK-BILLING GENERAL PRACTICE
469. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the general practice service at Fremantle
Hospital, which Dr Trenna Turner has operated on that site for over two
decades.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Department of Health has failed to award a tender to
operate the practice despite at least two applicants expressing interest,
including the current operator?
(2) Can the
minister also confirm that negotiations with the existing hospital general
practice have broken down and that it will now relocate to East Fremantle,
effectively leaving inner-city disadvantaged residents without a GP service?
(3) Given that
many Alma Street patients depend on this clinic and that the minister will be
closing down the emergency department, what will the minister do to ensure that
Fremantle has a hospital-based, bulk-billing day clinic for the people,
particularly the disadvantaged people, of Fremantle?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
I seem to recall that the plan for closing the emergency department at
Fremantle Hospital came from the former government—the Labor Party of
this state.
Mr
R.H. Cook : So that's Jim McGinty's fault, too, is it? But
you're the government and have been for four years. Take responsibility
for your own decisions!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The Deputy Leader of the Opposition says I will not take
responsibility for health services and yet he will not take responsibility for
a previous issue and the clear failing of his federal colleagues. We have
stated our position to his federal colleagues —
Mr R.H. Cook :
Catch up!
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
Deputy Leader of the Opposition should take responsibility.
Mr R.H. Cook : Stop
living in the past! Catch up, minister!
Dr K.D. HAMES : Mr
Speaker, there is an issue with general practitioner services at Fremantle
Hospital. That hospital has been subsidised by the state government for a long
period. There was a requirement through the Public Sector Management Act to go
out for expressions of interest to provide that service. That hospital had been
unable to provide the service without further injections of funds from the
state government; I understand two people have made submissions along those
lines. I received a letter from the existing practitioners, this week I think,
indicating that they have been offered an alternative location in East
Fremantle. They will presumably want to take most, if not all, of their
patients with them, and they have indicated that that is their intention. There
still remains the issue of submissions on tendering for that service, and I am
sure the state government will be successful in negotiating a satisfactory
outcome for the people of Fremantle to ensure that a clinic remains at that
location.
I seem to recall that the plan for closing the emergency department at
Fremantle Hospital came from the former government—the Labor Party of
this state.
Mr
R.H. Cook : So that's Jim McGinty's fault, too, is it? But
you're the government and have been for four years. Take responsibility
for your own decisions!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The Deputy Leader of the Opposition says I will not take
responsibility for health services and yet he will not take responsibility for
a previous issue and the clear failing of his federal colleagues. We have
stated our position to his federal colleagues —
Mr R.H. Cook :
Catch up!
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
Deputy Leader of the Opposition should take responsibility.
Mr R.H. Cook : Stop
living in the past! Catch up, minister!
Dr K.D. HAMES : Mr
Speaker, there is an issue with general practitioner services at Fremantle
Hospital. That hospital has been subsidised by the state government for a long
period. There was a requirement through the Public Sector Management Act to go
out for expressions of interest to provide that service. That hospital had been
unable to provide the service without further injections of funds from the
state government; I understand two people have made submissions along those
lines. I received a letter from the existing practitioners, this week I think,
indicating that they have been offered an alternative location in East
Fremantle. They will presumably want to take most, if not all, of their
patients with them, and they have indicated that that is their intention. There
still remains the issue of submissions on tendering for that service, and I am
sure the state government will be successful in negotiating a satisfactory
outcome for the people of Fremantle to ensure that a clinic remains at that
location.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.