Martha HAYLETT (Ripon) (09:52):

Last Friday the Premier and I officially opened the brand new $4 million student accommodation in Maryborough for trainee doctors, nurses and allied health students. What a great day it was. The accommodation can now house 20 students and is right next to where the $100 million redeveloped hospital will be next year. It is an incredible community asset that will mean we can attract and retain more healthcare workers in rural and regional Victoria, helping to address local workforce shortages and boost our health services for years to come. I am proud that our government continues to deliver improvements to our rural and regional healthcare system.

In Ripon we have hundreds of dedicated healthcare workers that look after us every day and fantastic investment in their hospitals, whether it is $8.6 million for the redevelopment of the Ararat hospital’s radiology and pathology unit, $480,000 for the St Arnaud hospital to replace ageing medical imaging equipment, $4 million to upgrade the Creswick nursing home, providing more dignity and space for residents, or over $500 million to redevelop the Ballarat Base Hospital.

We have also upgraded nursing homes in Skipton, Beaufort and Avoca, and the Elmhurst Bush Nursing Centre have received $60,000 to expand their centre and replace their vehicle. This is on top of our investments for more paramedics and upgraded ambulance stations in Ararat, St Arnaud, Avoca, Beaufort and Inglewood.

We have also got more nurses into our hospitals with free degrees for nursing and midwifery and more ambos on our roads. Rural and regional Victorians deserve world-class care, and we are not wasting a minute getting it done.