Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has called on the State Government to provide greater financial support for rural bush nursing centres, claiming centres in Balmoral and Harrow are among those struggling to make ends meet.

Ms Kealy said the government had cut centre budgets and that some centres were expected to cover nursing staff wage increases of 28.4 per cent over the next three years without additional government assistance.

She said the Harrow and Balmoral centres were among those struggling to cover costs.

“There is absolutely no question that our hard-working nurses deserve a payrise, but it cannot be implemented without financial support provided to bush nursing centres to meet these increased costs,” she said.

“Nurses do an amazing job, and our bush nurses have an extensively dynamic skill set to adapt to the range of care needed in rural settings.

“However, it is completely unfair that our remote care centres have not only had a funding cut, but the minister remains silent on government support for these wage increases.

“The great fear is that without the capacity to pay, nurse hours will be reduced, and that is not an acceptable outcome.”

A State Government spokesperson accused Ms Kealy of misleading the public, and said bush nursing centres had never been fully government funded.

They said the centres, with the exception of Ensay Bush Nursing Centre, were privately operated, independent facilities and were not covered by the nursing wage increases.

“Emma Kealy is more interested in playing politics than dealing in facts – the Liberal National Party continue to run shameless fear mongering campaigns about Victoria’s health system,” they said.

“While bush nursing centres are an important part of our wider Victorian health system, these are standalone, independent services that do not fall under the Health Services Act.

“We do provide some funding to these centres – along with the Commonwealth Government and private health insurance – and this funding has not been cut.”

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The entire September, 25, 2024 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!