APY Lands, Renal Dialysis Units

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:53): A further supplementary: there was no insinuation that it wasn't a good thing or it wasn't being rolled out, I was just asking what the level of consultation was. The further supplementary is that in his original question the minister referred to further funding in this year's federal budget. Does he have an idea of where further permanent dialysis might go on the APY lands, or in his view does he have particular communities that he thinks would benefit most from the further rollout in the APY lands?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:54): There are a lot of issues to be worked through in relation to this, but I think it is really important to remember that this was a service championed by Aboriginal people themselves. It was not non-Aboriginal ministers standing in the Legislative Council thousands of miles away telling them where these services need to be delivered, it was an Aboriginal-controlled health organisation, my understanding is particularly led by Aboriginal women, which saw the destructive impact of, shall we say, renal dialysis dislocation on their families and their communities. They worked hard to deliver this. I am going to let them continue to run the show because they are doing a much better job than the former Labor government.