COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (15:46): Again earlier today we saw that two country members of parliament turned their back on their own and all other country communities. I refer to the members for Chaffey and Mount Gambier. Yes, I know that they are fortunate to have two of the four hub hospitals to be created in country South Australia in their electorates but they also have smaller hospitals in smaller communities. I cannot believe that they could not have joined us in supporting our country doctors, nurses and health providers. At the very least, if they could not support us, they could be absent from the house.

What are the people in their electorates saying? I went to this week's copy of The River News, the paper that is very supportive of the local member, the Hon. Karlene Maywald. The Editor of The River News is Mr John Pick. The front page headline is 'Hospital services will go'. The article reads:

The Waikerie, Loxton, Barmera and Renmark Hospitals will become what Health Minister John Hill describes as GP Plus Hospitals, which will ultimately mean no obstetrics or surgery in the long term.

It is quite a strong article about the whole issue on the front page of The River News, which I have here in my hand. There is not a comment about the local member at all, which I think makes it the only issue of this paper I have ever picked up in which she does not appear, nor is there an invitation by the paper for her to make a comment. I have heard accusations that this paper feather-beds the local member. If that is the case, the local Riverland community deserves better.

As the member for Light will tell members, I am often criticised by my local papers and, if warranted, I wear it—I accept it. You cop it sweet. In this instance, the silence is staggering in this paper, and I think it is grossly unfair. Also in the paper is a letter to the editor—and this is a doozy—entitled 'The Nodding Dogs Syndrome'. It reads in part:

Sir—It is time to halt the spread of the 'Nodding Dogs Syndrome' that debilitates our nation's parliaments. This curse is leading us to a political process that is exclusive rather than inclusive, and does little to encourage people and members of our parliaments to speak up for the people they represent.

Who do you think wrote that? None other than the State President of the National Party, Wilbur Klein. The name rings a bell, doesn't it? On page 9 of the same paper is a full-page advertisement, and 'here we have joined the dots on the Riverland's health system'. What is all this costing? Mega thousands of dollars. It upsets me and causes me a lot of problems considering the cost of all this taxpayer-paid advertising. All this is on top of Mr Klein's comments quoted in the house here last Tuesday, and I will remind the house of what he said.

Yesterday, Mr Wilbur Klein, President of the South Australian National Party said, 'The health and well-being of many country people will be put at risk and the very sustainability of these committees will also be put at risk.'

Further, he said:

We don't need icon hospitals with fancy signage. We just want a simple quality health services made available to all country people and families.

We agree with him. The member for Chaffey has a lot of small hospitals that will be GP Plus or less. I cannot believe that Mr Klein can make comments like that. Well, Mr Klein, you either have to publicly speak to your state leader or, really, you have no choice other than to publicly dissociate yourself from your leader's position and lack of support, or just shut up.

As I said earlier, I thought that if both ministers and members of country areas could not support us, if they could not support the country communities in their dire need and with a really serious and important issue for them in their darkest hour, they should have at least absented from the house—like the doctors will in these country hospitals. Again, I pay the highest tribute to the medical officers, the doctors and nurses, and all those associated with health care in the country. I only hope for their sake that we can win this battle.