Each day’s questions will be sent directly to the candidates with an invitation to respond by 1pm the day prior to publication of their answers. 

For today’s question, we asked candidates: what are your health priorities for the Illawarra? 

KIAMA

Gareth Ward, Liberal MP

Glenn Kolomeitz, Labor

The Liberals have destroyed healthcare in the Illawarra.  Emergency waiting room times at Shoalhaven and Shellharbour hospitals are amongst some of the highest in NSW, and there is a huge shortage of paramedics. Labor will place 840 new nurses in NSW hospitals, including Shoalhaven, Shellharbour and Wollongong hospitals. We’ll also legislate 1:3 nurse: patient ratios. We’lll recruit 500 new paramedics statewide, some in the Illawarra.  We’ll build a walk-in Illawarra Nurse Clinic; and a new medical health centre at West Dapto.  We’ll spend $5 million to build a second linear accelerator at the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre, and will provide free chemotherapy drugs for all patients. We’ll make flu vaccines available in pharmacies and give free whooping cough vaccinations to all expectant mothers. Labor will rebuild affordable, accessible healthcare in the Illawarra and throughout NSW.

Steve Ryan, CDP

CDP believes the drug epidemic is costing society on every level.  We must have a zero tolerance on this issue.  We will fight for funding for Naltrexone detox treatment. Mental health services need more funding. Protection of life from conception to natural death in old age. Proper funding for aged care, ensuring dignity for elderly. Ensure nurse to patient ratios be top priority (4:1) and palliative care services adequately resourced. Euthanasia should continue to be illegal. Businesses need to be encouraged to employ more of our disabled citizens. The CDP supports reinstatement of medical services for injured workers and opening negotiations for retrospective compensation. “It appears we were unaware of some important facts and I believe it is in the best interest of the NSW government to right the wrong done to genuine people who have been disenfranchised by the outcome of the Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2012, ” CDP leader Rev Fred Nile MLC said. More than 5000 injured workers have lost their workers’ compensation benefits since NSW government overhauled the scheme in 2012. Up to 20,000 workers with long-term injuries have lost their entitlements to medical benefits as a result of the 2012 cuts. Many have been forced onto Centrelink benefits and had to go without medical treatment for their injuries. “The CDP hopes this will be a priority upon the resumption of Parliament after the Election later this month,” said Rev Fred Nile.

No Land Tax Party’s Carmel Pellegrini & the Green’s Terry Barratt did not respond by the Mercury’s deadline.

KEIRA

Ryan Park, Labor MP

Since before being elected in 2011, I have been  vocal about the need for Bulli Hospital to be significantly upgraded. I have advocated to ensure this hospital remains open for the local community. Over 10,000 people signed my petition to save Bulli Hospital and we debated this matter on the floor of NSW Parliament. By joining with the community to fight for upgrades at Bulli Hospital,  this health facility received additional funding to expand services available to residents. In 2012 the NSW Liberal Government reduced the hours of operation at Bulli Hospital from 7am to 10pm. Since then, I have been calling on the government to reinstate 24/7 access for local residents and I will continue to fight for this regardless of who is in government. Labor has also committed funding to upgrade Shellharbour Hospital as well as establish a nurse walk-in centre to take pressure off local emergency departments. It is also pleasing to see the expansion of Wollongong Hospital, a project that commenced under the former Labor Government. I am pleased that a NSW Labor Government would provide $47 million in funding for an expanded health and medical research facility at the University of Wollongong. This allocation of funds will help increase opportunities for world class health and medical research to be carried out here in the Illawarra and enhance the health and wellbeing of Illawarra residents.

Joesph Carolan, CDP

There are two particularly important health care challenges to be met in our region. Along with the rest of Australia, the population of the Illawarra is ageing and so the demand for aged care and aged-related services such as cardiac and orthopedic surgery and especially dementia care, will continue to grow. I strongly support the provision of generous resources for the care of our elderly residents. I support the continuous improvement of nursing home facilities and increased funding for in-home care programs. The palliative care services in our region are of a high standard and increasing the availability of these services is important. Secondly, the prevalence of mental health disorders in the Illawarra must be addressed urgently. Sufficient and stable funding should be directed towards the region’s mental health services. Additionally real employment opportunities need to be created and family values encouraged in our region.

Elena Martinez, Keira

The Greens believe that access to health services is a basic human right and should be based on health need not on ability to pay. Primary health care, health promotion and illness prevention are fundamental components of an effective and sustainable public health system. The Greens opposed the Medicare co-payment as it would have created inequality in the health care system. In the long run it would have cost the health system more money, as illnesses would not have been diagnosed and treated in time. As an optometrist in Wollongong, I see inadequate funding in the public health system. People without private health insurance need to wait up to 12 months to have cataract surgery. There are also long waiting times at emergency departments. More funding is needed in health. This can be achieved if we make it a priority.

No Land Party’s Jason Leto & Liberal’s Phillip Clifford did not respond by the Mercury’s deadline.

WOLLONGONG

Noreen Hay, Labor MP

Mike Baird and Tony Abbott have made devastating cuts to health and hospital funding in the Illawarra and the first priority must be the urgent restoration of our local health budget. Mike Baird has slashed $3 billion from our health system. Now Tony Abbott is ripping away $15 billion over the next ten years. A Foley Labor Government will invest in our health services without the need to privatise the electricity network. Labor will employ an additional 840 nurses in emergency departments and paediatric wards, which will include Wollongong Hospital. We will also get an allocation of the extra 500 paramedics that Labor will put on our roads to response to emergency calls. Labor will establish a new nurse-led walk-in centre in the Illawarra to help take the pressure of our busy emergency department. A Labor Government will also allow pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations making it more convenient for busy people to receive this preventive health measure. We’ll provide free whooping cough vaccinations for women during pregnancy to provide newborns during the crucial early months of their lives.

Dr Clarrie Pratt, CDP

Care for the sick, infirm and weak and the respect for all humans from conception to natural death is one of the central beliefs of christianity. All Australians, including those in the Illawarra, irrespective of their income, should have good access to essential health services. Whilst improvements have been made, more needs to be done about the deficiencies evident in NSW hospital emergency rooms, including in the Illawarra. It’s been evident that our hospitals have been facing many increasing challenges which can lead to unfortunate and avoidable outcomes. The median waiting time in NSW hospital emergency departments is almost three hours according to statistics recently released by the Bureau of Health. NSW has the longest waiting time compared to other states. We call on the government to improve this situation. Also, we call on the government to more adequately resource palliative care services, as well as to actually set into law rather than guideline to reduce nurse/patient ratios to 1:4 maximum.

Phil Latz, Australian Cyclists Party

No politician from the major parties is willing to confront the brutal facts when it comes to health. The cost of health care has been rising much faster than inflation and will continue to rise. We are dying slowly of ‘diacardiobesity’. These are the ‘diseases of affluence’: diabetes, cardiac disease and obesity. These are chronic, debilitating diseases that are expensive to treat. Only a more active lifestyle for everyone in Wollongong from young children through to seniors will beat this problem. Cycling is a key part of an active lifestyle solution. The cost of providing for a more active lifestyle is a drop in the ocean compared to the massive cost of our NSW health budget, which if it continues to grow at its current rate, will eventually be larger than the entire state budget on all portfolios including education and transport. Clearly this is an unsustainable trend. Having our local member boasting about expansions to Wollongong Hospital is all well and good, but it’s simply ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.’We must get serious about tackling the root cause of our health budget blowouts.

Cameron Walters, Liberal

The Mike Baird Liberal Team has a proven track record of recruiting extra doctors and nurses to work in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Local Health District, and if elected, this investment will continue. Patient care should be the first priority of any health system, which is why we want the people of Wollongong to have access to the best health care closer to home and why funding for additional staff is vital. Wollongong Hospital is beneficiary of the $106 million redevelopment already underway which will support first-rate services for patients. In a first for NSW, if elected the Mike Baird Liberal Team will abolish all public patient co-payments for the Highly Specialised Drugs needed to treat cancer and other chronic illnesses – easing the financial burden on every family fighting serious illnesses. Patient healthcare is at the heart of a compassionate society and if elected, I will ensure that the people of Wollongong are afforded the highest quality care services they need.

Mitchell Bresser, Greens

Healthcare should be taken with a holistic approach, someone’s mental, social and physical health are all important. I want to increase nurses numbers and their pay and stop the government from touching their penalty rates. Wollongong is NSW’s third largest city, but doesn’t have the training facilities for midwives or specialist palliative care nurses, I will make sure Wollongong does. There’s a shortage of palliative care nurses and it’s affecting people’s quality of life and denying them their option to die at home with their loved ones. I want to see better mental healthcare services, allowing all members of the community to receive high quality mental healthcare when they needed it. People should be able to receive care without having to stay in hospital, increasing community nurses will help this. Preventative healthcare is the major way we can reduce the cost of healthcare and improve people’s standards of living.

No Land Tax Party’s Noreen Colonelli & independent Arthur Rorris did not respond by the Mercury’s deadline.

SHELLHARBOUR

Anna Watson, Labor MP

Labor will invest $30 million in stage one major works for the upgrade of Shellharbour Hospital and introduce new nurse-to-patient ratios. This investment will include a new and expanded emergency department with up to 25 spaces; a new eight space emergency medical unit; and a new day surgery unit with up to 15 spaces. Labor built the Shellharbour Hospital and invested in additional health services there throughout its 16 years in government. Over the last four years under the Liberals, waiting times for emergency treatment have increased. Patients are waiting longer to see a doctor. Elective surgery waiting lists have gone up – patients are waiting up to 80 days longer for non-urgent surgery than four years ago. Labor has also selected West Dapto as one of 19 sites across NSW to establish a West Dapto Health centre focusing on preventative health care. Embarrassed by Labor’s commitments, the Liberal’s made a last ditch, eleventh-hour promise on Shellharbour Hospital just days ago. The question that springs to mind is: if the Liberals suddenly discovered the money to upgrade Shellharbour Hospital last week, why couldn’t it be found during the last 4 years?

Romeo Cecchele, Independent

I am strongly opposed to the NSW Labor and Liberal parties' discrimination against the 40,000 people of Dapto in failing for 35 years straight to provide either a public or private hospital for its people. The 40,000 people of Dapto only have one super clinic while the 24,000 people of Shellharbour City have a super clinic, public and private hospitals. It is time that this illogical stance finishes and the people of Dapto provided basic health care with their own hospital as the population will be 90,000 in 15 years! A new Dapto hospital needs to be urgently built within one kilometre of the CBD and train station. Anna Watson and John Ajaka have failed to provide me with statistics on how many people die in Dapto each year after a 000 call is made, as the ambulance station is located three minutes away from the CBD and seven minutes from Horsley. Add another three minutes if the boom gates are down at Bong Bong Road crossing. The ambulance station needs urgent relocation to the CBD of Dapto. I also hear that many people with serious mental illness in Dapto cannot get into a ward at Wollongong or Shellharbour hospitals as there are not enough beds available.

Mark Jones, Liberal

Just last week the Mike Baird Liberal Team announced that if elected, we will give the green light to the $251 million major redevelopment of Shellharbour Hospital. The redevelopment will expand emergency department capacity, double the operating theatre size, add an intensive care unit and provide for increased acute inpatient, surgical, aged care and rehabilitation beds, as well as expanded outpatient and primary/community health services. This is a major investment and one which will revolutionise the way our community is cared for. Shellharbour Hospital has looked after our community for decades and now it’s time for us to show it, and its great staff, some TLC. In addition to the additional health commitments such as 3,500 more full-time equivalent frontline health staff, the Shellharbour region’s health needs are a top priority for the Mike Baird Liberal Team.

Wayne Quinn, Independent

For many years now Shellharbour hospital has received insufficient funding even though it has needed major upgrades to meet the needs of the local community. During this time, funding has poured into Wollongong hospital and once again the Shellharbour electorate has been neglected. Shellharbour hospital has ample room for expansion and compared to Wollongong hospital has plenty of parking. At times the parking can be a problem, but when compared to Wollongong hospital the parking is fantastic. The hospital needs to be expanded, more specialist units, doctors and nurses and so on just to meet current needs. But the thing is that we need to have the hospital expanded to meet the needs of the future and not just the present. It’s not surprising that once again, when there is an election the major parties suddenly promise plenty of funding if they are elected. It's like being held to ransom. If they had the money, why must they wait for an election to promise funding. The funding should already have been directed to where it is needed to meet the needs of the local community.

Peter Moran, Greens

All hospitals in the Illawarra need to have a 1:4 nurse to patient ratios. There needs to be an increased investment in mental health services, including increased support for, and more respite care for, the families and carers of mental health patients. Early intervention programs, which save the community money in the long term, should be available on an 'as need' basis. It is much cheaper to prevent a crisis developing rather than having to deal with it once it becomes a crisis. The Greens would like to see doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health and other health professionals and support workers more involved in health-service-delivery policy development and planning. We should be empowering the front line experts rather than having a top-down policy development method. The Greens also believe in strengthening the public primary-care sector so that it can more effectively provide care and support to people in their homes.

No Land Tax Party’s Hugo Morvillo and CDP’s John Kadwell did not respond by the Mercury’s deadline.

HEATHCOTE

Greg Petty, Independent

Heathcote residents being located centrally between Sutherland and Wollongong Hospitals have a choice of service. No, the basic health system should not be privatised ala USA style private medicine. But let’s talk basic education, Helensburgh has no High School. It’s time to correct the disproportionate spending on all issues by all parties and give Helensburgh its own High School. In a breaking development, the Liberal Member for Heathcote has failed to respond to STOP CSG Illawarra’s position statement on a ban on CSG mining in the water catchment. Does this mean the Liberal candidate will support reissuing the licences in the Illawarra?

Natasha Watson, Greens

With an increasing and longer living population in the Illawarra, the health services available are sadly falling behind. For the northern suburbs residents requiring emergency treatment only Wollongong Hospital has 24hour ED, otherwise residents must travel to Miranda. For general ailments, most general practices are at capacity in the northern Illawarra. GPs either have waiting lists to join their books or the walk-in, no appointment GPs have long queues for hours, sometime days. I would campaign to have a higher hospital nurse to patient ratio and also extend the after hours Illawarra radio doctor north to Helensburgh. The Greens would deliver better primary health care, palliative care and home care, and provide incentives to increase the number of GPs in the Illawarra, including at the urban planning level with new mixed business building to provide premises for health care practitioners rather than another empty retail shop.

Maryanne Stuart, Labor

Providing high quality and accessible health services is core business for state governments, particularly in regional areas. Over the past four years the Liberal government has cut $3 billion from our public hospitals, which has blown out waiting times at emergency departments and for surgery. Labor is committed to making accessing health and hospital services in our community easier. If elected, Labor will recruit an extra 840 nurses an a 3:1 patient ratio in emergency departments and paediatric wards, deliver free whopping cough vaccinations to women during pregnancy, and abolish the chemotherapy co-payment at public hospitals, which can be up to $180 per treatment, which was introduced by the Liberals. As well, Labor will recruit an extra 500 ambulance officers, which will speed up response times for patients. Our doctors, nurses and other health workers do a wonderful job in the community, and a Foley Labor Government will ensure they have the resources they need to serve our area. 

Lee Evans Liberal MP, No Land Tax Party’s Ahmed Elawaad and CDP’s Ula Falanga did not respond by the Mercury’s deadline.