Federal Labor to invest $2.8m to build Central Highlands Allied Health Clinic in Emerald

Campaigning has begun in the battleground seat of Flynn, with Flynn candidate Matt Burnett announcing Labor will invest $2.8 million to build the Central Highlands Allied Health Clinic in Emerald.

The investment will provide facilities for dozens of trainee medical professionals annually across 10 practice rooms, allowing them to conduct their placements in Emerald and service patients in the Central Highlands.

The twin-building facility would include practice rooms, a large measurement and assessment room, along with dedicated training facilities.

Shadow Minister for Education and Women Tanya Plibersek and Senator for Queensland Murray Watt, joined Labor's candidate for Flynn Matt Burnett, in visiting Emerald's GP Superclinic on Monday.

Mr Burnett said the investment will provide real practitioners that will deliver allied health services to locals, many of whom are waiting up to six months for an appointment.

"There are too many heartbreaking stories of residents forced to take the long and expensive 6-hour return trip to Rocky or fly to Brisbane just to seek allied health care such as speech pathology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy," he said.

"Not only that, but some locals are waiting up to 6 months for psychological appointments. In this day and age, we shouldn't be waiting until it's too late to get locals the wrap around care that they need.

"I've been working with the team at the Emerald GP Superclinic for months to deliver better health outcomes for locals; this announcement means more doctors, more medical professionals on the ground in Emerald delivering those services that are much needed."

Emerald Medical Group Dr Ewen McPhee welcomed Federal Labor's investment of $2.8 million, which he said will improve access to health services in Emerald and the Central Highlands.

"The Central Highlands has been really struggling because we've been unable to provide early equitable access to allied health services, including things like podiatry, occupational therapy, and particularly our mental health services," Dr McPhee said.

"What we're seeing is extended wait times for psychology particularly and recently we've heard that there'll be a reduction in funding through the Primay Health Network.

"This announcement to build an allied health wing and to support us in enhanced and extended training of up to 40 allied health students in Emerald and the Central Highlands is absolutely awesome."

Central Highlands Healthcare Limited Board Paul Bell shared the same frustration of Dr McPhee's, saying Allied Health had been a missing gap in the region for the last six years.

"This is a tremendous effort from Matt Burnett who's been a wonderful advocate of this Centre," Mr Bell said.

"We've just not been able to get and keep speech therapists, occupational therapists, mental health support, and nursing staff as well.

"There's almost been a black hole in the provision of those services because we just can't get people to come and stay; the best way is to get them to stay is to get them to practice here."

Federal Labor built the original Emerald GP Superclinic, and Shadow Minister for Education and Women Tanya Plibersek said this investment will allow more allied health professionals to be able to see more patients.

"I'm a mum of three and I don't reckon that a month goes by when I don't have one of the kids in the car taking them to a doctors appointment or allied health specialist," Ms Plibersek said.

"I think about communities like this where you don't just have to get an appointment, but wait six weeks and then get in the car and drive three or six hours to get to that appointment.

"It's just not fair, we have to be offering more services closer to home, for more families."

Senator for Queensland Murray Watt said under the LNP, access to health services in the Central Highlands has gotten worse.

"Yet again we see Matt Burnett as the Labor's candidate delivering on better health services for the Central Highlands," Mr Watt said.

"The Morrison Government and the LNP have been in power for nearly 10 years and all we've seen over that time is health services in the Central Highlands get worse.

"It was a Labor government that built the Emerald GP Superclinic and now it's an Anthony Albanese Labor government that will take it to the next level-delivering allied health services and GP services for people right across the Central Highlands."

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