TELEHEALTH

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (16:45): I rise today to talk about telehealth. I have travelled around the country hospitals in South Australia, and I have been to just over 40 in the past 12 months or so, and I plan to get out and see even more in the next few weeks. I will be down in Murray Bridge and Mannum on Monday and then Strathalbyn and Mount Barker on Tuesday, and then over to the member for Flinders' electorate in Ceduna, Streaky Bay, Tumby Bay, Port Lincoln and his hometown of Cummins. I am looking forward to that in October.

Where I have been going around the state it has been fantastic to see widescreen televisions and cameras installed in country hospitals. It allows people to consult a specialist or a doctor in Adelaide to get some reassurance or advice. It is saving people in country South Australia many, many hours and a lot of upheaval in their lives to be able to consultation for simple things like having a wound checked by specialist.

I was in Ceduna last year and heard the case of a woman who just needed a wound checked. She turned up and presented her wound to the camera. A specialist in Adelaide looked at it and said, 'Yes, that's fine. Come back and do that again next week.' That saved the woman a trip to Adelaide. When you are coming from Ceduna there is only one flight over and back each day, and depending on when the specialist can fit you in, often you have to spend the night in Adelaide. That saved her from having to spend the night in Adelaide, having to get someone to look after the children, pick them up from school, and all that sort of stuff.

Not only is it convenient for the patient but it is also saving taxpayers a lot of money in helping transport people across this great state. We have one million square kilometres in South Australia and vast distances to travel, so the more we can deliver health services to people in country areas the better, and that is what telehealth is all about.

I joined with Senator Conroy a couple of weeks ago to launch the mental telehealth plan as well. The federal government is chipping in $5 million to help with that plan to provide, again, televisions and cameras around South Australia, so that if you have a patient with a mental health issue they can get on the camera, get online, and talk directly with a specialist here in Adelaide at Glenside or wherever that person might be.

John Hill and I did a trial of this and spoke to a specialist in Glenside last year from Port Lincoln Hospital. The clarity at both ends was superb. We have been waiting for the technology and the broad bandwidth to catch up so that specialists can look at the facial features of people they are trying to diagnose. It is very important in the area of mental health that a specialist can see someone's eyes and without a lag in voice sync that we used to get with the old system.

It's great leap forward, and I want to commend everyone in the health system. The patients are only too keen to take up this new technology, but sometimes when you bring in change it is hard for people to adapt. Sometimes there is a reluctance of people to adapt, but from every hospital I have been to in Orroroo, Boolaroo, Wallaroo, Pinnaroo, Lameroo, wherever I have been in our state, there has been widespread acceptance of this from not only the patients but also from health professionals who help deliver these great services. Also to the specialists here in Adelaide, my thanks to them. As I said, change is not always easy, but they have been quick adapters and very keen to adapt to this new technology. Thanks to the technical people who have made it all possible as well; it is not always easy.

Senator Conroy and I were very relieved at the media conference when we pushed the button and there we had a patient in Murray Bridge speaking to us directly with his doctor. To everyone involved in the telehealth program, I offer my congratulations and look forward to getting out and about in other areas of the state in the next 12 months.