❓ Question 528 addresses bulk-billing by GPs, with the Minister deflecting responsibility to the federal government. Question 2 concerns government assistance programs for agricultural production, with the Minister highlighting successful drought management initiatives and ongoing support.
AnsweredQoN 528Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GENERAL PRACTITIONERS — BULK-BILLING
528. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I ask a supplementary question. What will the minister do to
clarify the policy position of his government that he will not slug Western
Australian patients more than they already have been through their family
bills?
528. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I ask a supplementary question. What will the minister do to
clarify the policy position of his government that he will not slug Western
Australian patients more than they already have been through their family
bills?
AnswerView source ↗
The charges by doctors in the private sector have absolutely
nothing to do with the state government. The Chief Medical Officer was
expressing his personal opinion, which he is entitled to do. As Chief Medical
Officer he does not have anything to do with the charges that GPs levy on their
patients—absolutely nothing. He would have been asked for his view on
health services —
Mr C.J. Barnett :
Ring up your federal health minister!
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member should ring his federal health minister—what a good idea! Go and
ring Tanya Plibersek and ask her what she is doing about GP charges.
Mr R.H. Cook : It's
your problem!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is not our problem. It is quite clear that this is a federal matter. The Deputy
Leader of the Opposition should get on the phone and direct his question to his
federal Labor colleague.
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION — GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
2. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
I am proud to be a part of a government that understands and
takes measures to assist agricultural production in Western Australia. One of
the government's key priorities —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time and the
member for Midland to order for the second time.
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY :
One of the government's key priorities in the agricultural portfolio
has been to build the capacity of the industry to adapt and grow. Will the
minister please update the house on efforts to achieve this objective?
Mr
D.T. REDMAN replied:
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question. Clearly
his farming background has given him a strong interest in the success of the
agricultural sector in Western Australia. We have in WA some of the best
farmers in the world—I do not think that is up for dispute—who
sometimes face very challenging conditions and show a level of resilience and
performance that is second to few in the world. It is also recognised that to
be successful a person needs not only farming skills, but also business skills.
We also have very good businesspeople in our farming community.
Over the past two years—it finished in June this year—we
trialled an approach to deal with drought and those challenging circumstances
for the first time in Western Australia in an effort to use that as a model to
reform the approach we take to drought on the national level. Indeed, Western
Australia led the charge. That trial was particularly successful and was certainly
well received on a wide level. Earlier this week, that trial won a national
strategic planning award at the Economic Development Australia Awards in
Cairns. The Western Australian drought pilot and all those who were associated
with its design and implementation over the past two years should be
congratulated for their performance, but in particular for winning such a
prestigious award as that. A big part of the drought pilot was a range of
workshops that nearly 1 000 farm businesses in Western Australia were able to
take part in. They were free farm workshops designed to develop or further
skills in financial and managerial aspects of the farming businesses and to
discuss things such as a work–life balance and succession planning. The
feedback indicating the popularity of those programs has been very good. As I
said, the drought pilot concluded at the end of June this year—but we
have not stopped there as a state government. In the 2012–13 state
budget, we have chosen to put in more resources to extend the workshop part of
the program by offering three programs that farmers can be a part of. The first
is called ''plan, prepare and prosper''. It is a five-day
workshop based on the drought pilot. The second is a refresher workshop for
those who may have been a part of it before, but who want to refresh themselves
about some of the skills, discussion points and business aspects of the
program. The third is a planning-for-profit day, which is a one-day workshop
that will focus on increasing farm profitability. The survey results from the
drought pilot program in Western Australia showed that 98 per cent of
participants said that their confidence in implementing their business plan had
improved; 99 per cent said their businesses had a clearer direction and vision;
95 per cent said the workshops compared favourably with previous training; and
95 per cent said that they would recommend the workshops to others. The Western
Australian program was very successful. It piloted an alternative to responding
and dealing with the challenging circumstances that we know farmers will face
and that pilot has led to a national award. Everyone involved should be
congratulated for their efforts. The government is not stopping there. We are
putting up an equivalent program in the current budget year. I am looking
forward to that coming to fruition and building on the capacity of the farming
community of Western Australia.
SCHOOLS
— ELECTRONIC SPEED ZONE SIGNS
3. Mr J.C. KOBELKE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the installation of
electronic flashing school speed zone signs. I remind the minister that I have
presented petitions from concerned parents and raised with him more than once
in debate the need for flashing signs on Hutton Street outside Osborne Primary
School; on Cape Street, outside the Tuart Hill Primary School; and, on Jones
Street near Takari Primary School. Has the minister made a decision about
having electronic school speed-zone signs installed for the safety of the
children and adults who cross the roads in front of those schools; and, if so,
what is that decision?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL replied:
We have made decisions about the installation of flashing
lights. I cannot recall exactly whether they have been installed at those three
schools. Perhaps one of the reasons is that nearly every school in the state
desires flashing lights. I cannot recall specifically those three schools, but
no doubt at the appropriate time we will let the school community know.
What I do know,
however, is that under this government, now that money from red-light and speed
cameras is hypothecated across to road safety, the number of flashing signs
installed outside schools across the state will effectively triple. I am seeing
that the length and breadth of the state. We were recently in the member for
Albany's electorate, where three or four signs are highly anticipated
and welcomed by the local community. We will roll them out across the state as
time allows over the next couple of months. I can tell members one thing: the
fact is that there is incredible demand for school signs under this program. In
fact, we were out at East Maylands—no.
Ms L.L. Baker : No; Hillcrest.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : We were at Hillcrest Primary School the
other week in the member for Maylands' electorate looking at the same
thing. Everywhere I go school communities are asking for these to be installed.
We have a finite budget with a very large demand. What that means is that not
every school will be able to be satisfied in this year's round of
funding. That means some schools will miss out. The question is, member for
Balcatta: if one school does miss out, which one do we then take the money off
to fund it? I have never been to a school community that would happily give up
those signs. It is an incredibly important part of making kids safer when going
to school, whether from a pedestrian point of view or when riding bicycles to
school. I am incredibly proud of our achievements in government on taking this
program, which I admit was initiated by the former government but was still
very much in its infancy, and developing it into a full-blown safety program
around the state. Indeed, my aspiration is that, while people continue to speed
and continue to go through red lights, we will have a pool of money that will
ultimately enable every primary and high school in this state to have flashing
lights outside so that motorists and other road users can be warned of imminent
areas in which schoolchildren will be crossing roads.
nothing to do with the state government. The Chief Medical Officer was
expressing his personal opinion, which he is entitled to do. As Chief Medical
Officer he does not have anything to do with the charges that GPs levy on their
patients—absolutely nothing. He would have been asked for his view on
health services —
Mr C.J. Barnett :
Ring up your federal health minister!
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member should ring his federal health minister—what a good idea! Go and
ring Tanya Plibersek and ask her what she is doing about GP charges.
Mr R.H. Cook : It's
your problem!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is not our problem. It is quite clear that this is a federal matter. The Deputy
Leader of the Opposition should get on the phone and direct his question to his
federal Labor colleague.
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION — GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
2. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
I am proud to be a part of a government that understands and
takes measures to assist agricultural production in Western Australia. One of
the government's key priorities —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
formally call the member for Mandurah to order for the first time and the
member for Midland to order for the second time.
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY :
One of the government's key priorities in the agricultural portfolio
has been to build the capacity of the industry to adapt and grow. Will the
minister please update the house on efforts to achieve this objective?
Mr
D.T. REDMAN replied:
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question. Clearly
his farming background has given him a strong interest in the success of the
agricultural sector in Western Australia. We have in WA some of the best
farmers in the world—I do not think that is up for dispute—who
sometimes face very challenging conditions and show a level of resilience and
performance that is second to few in the world. It is also recognised that to
be successful a person needs not only farming skills, but also business skills.
We also have very good businesspeople in our farming community.
Over the past two years—it finished in June this year—we
trialled an approach to deal with drought and those challenging circumstances
for the first time in Western Australia in an effort to use that as a model to
reform the approach we take to drought on the national level. Indeed, Western
Australia led the charge. That trial was particularly successful and was certainly
well received on a wide level. Earlier this week, that trial won a national
strategic planning award at the Economic Development Australia Awards in
Cairns. The Western Australian drought pilot and all those who were associated
with its design and implementation over the past two years should be
congratulated for their performance, but in particular for winning such a
prestigious award as that. A big part of the drought pilot was a range of
workshops that nearly 1 000 farm businesses in Western Australia were able to
take part in. They were free farm workshops designed to develop or further
skills in financial and managerial aspects of the farming businesses and to
discuss things such as a work–life balance and succession planning. The
feedback indicating the popularity of those programs has been very good. As I
said, the drought pilot concluded at the end of June this year—but we
have not stopped there as a state government. In the 2012–13 state
budget, we have chosen to put in more resources to extend the workshop part of
the program by offering three programs that farmers can be a part of. The first
is called ''plan, prepare and prosper''. It is a five-day
workshop based on the drought pilot. The second is a refresher workshop for
those who may have been a part of it before, but who want to refresh themselves
about some of the skills, discussion points and business aspects of the
program. The third is a planning-for-profit day, which is a one-day workshop
that will focus on increasing farm profitability. The survey results from the
drought pilot program in Western Australia showed that 98 per cent of
participants said that their confidence in implementing their business plan had
improved; 99 per cent said their businesses had a clearer direction and vision;
95 per cent said the workshops compared favourably with previous training; and
95 per cent said that they would recommend the workshops to others. The Western
Australian program was very successful. It piloted an alternative to responding
and dealing with the challenging circumstances that we know farmers will face
and that pilot has led to a national award. Everyone involved should be
congratulated for their efforts. The government is not stopping there. We are
putting up an equivalent program in the current budget year. I am looking
forward to that coming to fruition and building on the capacity of the farming
community of Western Australia.
SCHOOLS
— ELECTRONIC SPEED ZONE SIGNS
3. Mr J.C. KOBELKE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the installation of
electronic flashing school speed zone signs. I remind the minister that I have
presented petitions from concerned parents and raised with him more than once
in debate the need for flashing signs on Hutton Street outside Osborne Primary
School; on Cape Street, outside the Tuart Hill Primary School; and, on Jones
Street near Takari Primary School. Has the minister made a decision about
having electronic school speed-zone signs installed for the safety of the
children and adults who cross the roads in front of those schools; and, if so,
what is that decision?
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL replied:
We have made decisions about the installation of flashing
lights. I cannot recall exactly whether they have been installed at those three
schools. Perhaps one of the reasons is that nearly every school in the state
desires flashing lights. I cannot recall specifically those three schools, but
no doubt at the appropriate time we will let the school community know.
What I do know,
however, is that under this government, now that money from red-light and speed
cameras is hypothecated across to road safety, the number of flashing signs
installed outside schools across the state will effectively triple. I am seeing
that the length and breadth of the state. We were recently in the member for
Albany's electorate, where three or four signs are highly anticipated
and welcomed by the local community. We will roll them out across the state as
time allows over the next couple of months. I can tell members one thing: the
fact is that there is incredible demand for school signs under this program. In
fact, we were out at East Maylands—no.
Ms L.L. Baker : No; Hillcrest.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : We were at Hillcrest Primary School the
other week in the member for Maylands' electorate looking at the same
thing. Everywhere I go school communities are asking for these to be installed.
We have a finite budget with a very large demand. What that means is that not
every school will be able to be satisfied in this year's round of
funding. That means some schools will miss out. The question is, member for
Balcatta: if one school does miss out, which one do we then take the money off
to fund it? I have never been to a school community that would happily give up
those signs. It is an incredibly important part of making kids safer when going
to school, whether from a pedestrian point of view or when riding bicycles to
school. I am incredibly proud of our achievements in government on taking this
program, which I admit was initiated by the former government but was still
very much in its infancy, and developing it into a full-blown safety program
around the state. Indeed, my aspiration is that, while people continue to speed
and continue to go through red lights, we will have a pool of money that will
ultimately enable every primary and high school in this state to have flashing
lights outside so that motorists and other road users can be warned of imminent
areas in which schoolchildren will be crossing roads.
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