Limestone Coast Radiation Treatment

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Health. Could the minister inform the house about the Mount Gambier radiation therapy service feasibility study and the final report and its findings? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: This report is coming on the back of a lot of community concern and perhaps a 20,000-signature petition in support of such services. The report has actually found that it is not worthy for the service to be rolled out in Mount Gambier, for a number of reasons. I am hoping the minister can inform the house of these.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:58): Thanks to the member for MacKillop for his question and his passionate advocacy in relation to Limestone Coast health services. As the member has articulated, we did undertake a feasibility study in relation to advocacy for radiation oncology in the South-East and the Limestone Coast. This followed advocacy from the local community, but it also followed an initial rejection of that proposal under the previous Liberal state government and under the previous Liberal federal government. Both of those governments looked at this at the time, didn't discuss it with the community, didn't undertake a feasibility study and decided to reject that proposal. We took a different approach of saying to the community that we would bring in a team of experts to undertake a feasibility study, put all the facts on the table and release that report in full. We undertook to do that, we had community representation in terms of the appointment of those people to undertake that work, and we now have released that report and provided that in full.

I met with the working group when I was in Mount Gambier recently alongside the member for MacKillop while we were starting construction of the upgrade of Mount Gambier hospital and also releasing the full plans in terms of our upgrades of Naracoorte hospital as well. I met with the team who are part of the working group. Obviously, they are disappointed in terms of the results of that feasibility study, but I think there are some positive elements. There are a series of recommendations about improving cancer care in the Limestone Coast that we can take up and which can lead to some meaningful improvements for people in the Limestone Coast who suffer from cancer.

This is a report that was done completely at arm's length from government. They had access to all the information. It has been provided. There are some useful recommendations that will improve care. Very importantly, it will lead to a better result in terms of the upgrades that we can now do for cancer care services. There were some criticisms of the previous proposals. I think that now, based on this feasibility study and this report, there will be a much better outcome in terms of those upgrades proceeding.