APY Lands, Renal Dialysis Units

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:09): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions about renal dialysis on the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: I asked the minister a question on this issue on 6 May and he referred to the Central Australian Renal Study which recommended a hub and spoke model with a base in Alice Springs. It also mentioned that Anangu are mobile across the state, rendering homelands-based services redundant. An Ernst & Young report released in February for Western Desert Dialysis, which runs The Purple House in Alice Springs, also recommended a hub and spoke model for this base in Alice Springs. It also recommended supporting people to remain on country and that services be introduced to allow this to occur, rather than forcing people to Alice Springs, Port Augusta or Adelaide.

Western Desert Purple House already runs permanent dialysis in the following communities: Kintore, Yuendumu, Ntaria and Lajamanu in the Territory, as well as Warburton and Kiwirrikurra in Western Australia. These act as permanent spokes, as referred to in the reports. The purple truck cannot act as a permanent spoke, given its temporary nature.

Liberal Party policy, developed in consultation with The Purple House, would station permanent beds on the lands, ensuring that Anangu could remain on country. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister aware of the good work the Western Desert Dialysis/Purple House organisation does?

2. Given that the Liberal Party policy is consistent with the Central Australian Renal Study that he referred to in May, the Ernst & Young report, requirements of Western Desert Dialysis and, most importantly, the needs of Anangu, why won't he support it?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his ongoing interest in this matter. As I have previously advised the house on many occasions, at the moment there are currently 23 people from the APY lands receiving dialysis in Alice Springs, Adelaide or Port Augusta. Twelve of these people receive dialysis in Alice Springs, with 11 people receiving dialysis in South Australia, and nine of these based in Adelaide and two in Port Augusta.

The Australian government provided $600,000 in funding to Country Health SA local health networks to build and fit out a renal dialysis truck for use in remote Aboriginal communities. The truck was completed in late December 2013 and delivered to South Australia in January 2014. Following an official launch and successful trial of the truck in Adelaide, the first trip was undertaken to Ernabella on the APY lands in March 2014, with five patients attending, I am advised. A further three trips to the APY lands have been scheduled, including Marla, Amata and Mimili. It is envisaged that the service may move to longer visits in communities, allowing patients to return to their home communities for a longer period of time.

Prior to the South Australian truck being built, a mobile dialysis truck was leased for the Northern Territory to provide these visits. Visits to Coober Pedy, Yalata and the Flinders Ranges will also be scheduled for 2014. I am told it is expected the truck will visit remote communities for approximately 16 weeks in the 2014 calendar year. However, this will be subject to the successful completion of the first four trips.

As I said, this expands services on the lands and expands services out to remote communities which would not otherwise have access to it, but any analysis of health needs on the lands needs to take into account where people prefer to be treated. The fact is that there is an absolute preference to come down to Port Augusta or Adelaide, because not only do they get their renal analysis treated but they come down with families and do other business while they are here.

The renal dialysis truck allows flexibility for people to be treated in places such as Coober Pedy, Yalata and the Flinders Ranges. A permanent facility, as suggested by the Liberal Party in its election policy, would remove this flexibility. I recall (and I do not have it at hand but will try to find it) a media discussion with the Leader of the Opposition in the other place, Steven Marshall, about this issue, and I recall him saying something to the effect of 'we will divert services from other areas to pay for this'. That would mean, I suspect, the services that are paid for in Coober Pedy, the services the state government pays for in Alice Springs and the services paid for the communities in Adelaide. You can't have it both ways.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: But, this is what the Leader of the Opposition didn't say. He didn't say that he would continue that existing funding. He didn't say that.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister finish his answer.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Dawkins.

The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: It seems that way. He didn't say that he will continue the services that are already provided and have a permanent service—he didn't say that at all. He said he would fund it by redirecting existing services.