How will you ensure health services in Blacktown are robust , adequately funded , and accessible given the exponential population growth in the electorate ? Is the new Rouse Hill hospital enough for families in this area ?

The population of Northwest Sydney is swelling , with areas like Riverstone expected to triple by 2040 . Clearly , it ’ s not sustainable to keep putting more pressure on Blacktown and Westmead Hospital .

This is why I have spent years working passionately with the community to campaign for an Emergency Department at Rouse Hill hospital . It ’ s about planning for the future .

The NSW Liberals thought they could get away with building a glorified medical centre , but our campaign exposed this agenda and forced them to reverse course . Our recent win is an important part of addressing these challenges , but there remains more to do .

To ensure health services in Blacktown are robust , it ’ s also important that more of our existing GP clinics have the capacity to handle minor emergencies and take pressure off hospitals .

This is why Labor has developed a $ 135 million plan to expand incentives for existing GP clinics to provide urgent care for non-life-threatening emergencies .

Labor and the Government have also committed to expand support for all Australians with Type 1 Diabetes , by making continuous glucose monitoring devices available at low cost .

Preventative investments can help individuals better manage health outcomes , and this carries long-term benefits .

While health services are primarily a state issue , I ’ ll always work with our community and use my influence positively to support Western Sydney in securing the health services it needs .

Will your party protect Medicare ? Labor created Medicare , and

Australians know we will always protect it .

In contrast , the Liberal Party doesn ’ t like Medicare . They never have , and probably never will .

Mr Morrison ’ s new Health Minister has previously said she doesn ’ t think Medicare is sustainable . And who can forget Peter Dutton ’ s plan for a $ 7 per visit tax on GP consultations .

The truth is , deep down the Liberals want the Australian health system to resemble that of the United States . This is not the right or equitable path , and it ’ s more expensive .

You can ’ t have a healthy economy without healthy people .

Medicare is essential towards helping people live their best lives .

Our Medicare Urgent Clinics plan will expand incentives to enable existing GP

clinics to take pressure off hospitals . This will make it easier for Australian families to see a doctor or a nurse when they have an urgent , but not life-threatening , need for care .

We also need to support healthcare workers . A recent survey found that 1 in 5 frontline workers , including nurses , are considering switching careers because of the pandemic .

This is why Labor will commit up to $ 23 million to the National Nurse and Midwife Health Service that will help keep nurses in the job , caring for Australians .

How will your party keep industry and trade jobs local ?

Investing in A Future Made in Western Sydney :

Labor has a plan to make more things in Australia and build a better future for Western Sydney .

Our powering Australia Plan will leverage cheap renewables to place downwards pressure on electricity prices . In turn , this will lower costs for manufacturers and small to medium businesses .

This will drive local jobs , skills and new growth industries , and Labor ’ s National Reconstruction Fund will amplify this by investing in local manufacturing to help scale growth .

Our plan has great potential to support local sectors in areas such as food manufacturing , pharmaceuticals , medical devices , transport manufacturing , and 3D

printing . Labor is also the party of infrastructure . We have community-driven plans to invest in local infrastructure , improve quality of life and make Greenway a better place to live . This includes my Better Local Living Plan for Greenway Families , which you can see on my website .

Can the Western Sydney Airport bring trade or commercial opportunities to our electorate ?

Absolutely – but it requires us to have a vision , and a plan to make that vision a reality . In my electorate of Greenway alone , there are over 28,000 residents who work in the sectors of construction , logistics , transport , wholesale trade and manufacturing .

We need to think short-term and long-term about how Western Sydney businesses and construction workers can participate in , and benefit from the airport .

To give one example , Labor has a plan to make more things in Australia , and in Western Sydney . This creates logistics opportunities to ship products at lower cost , and can help businesses grow .

The CSIRO facility at the Aerotropolis Advanced Manufacturing Precinct , and its planned research labs , can also be leveraged to support food and advanced manufacturers in Western Sydney be more innovative and productive through the adoption of commercialised research and science .

How will you ensure health services in Blacktown are robust , adequately funded , and accessible given the exponential population growth in the electorate ? Is the new Rouse Hill hospital enough for families in this area ?

The past governments have done nothing to ensure the adequate funding , staffing , and stability of the Australian health system . I will ensure UAP will uphold their promise to inject $ 40 billion into the health system . Not to the State Government , but directly to Australian hospitals where it is urgently needed . This will ensure the funding is used substantially on what each individual hospital requires . This will enable our health system to regain adequate staffing , equipment and better access so urgently needed in some areas .

Our Blacktown hospital ’ s under-staffed and over packed emergency department is a critical point to address right now , and to provide direct funding to our hospital

will ensure a return of efficiency and complete medical care for all patients and emergency admissions .

The exponential growth in our electorate has created further stress on our health system here and into our neighbouring electorates . The Rouse Hill hospital has been stalled for too long under the Labor held Federal seat , and it is only now the Liberal Government have promised the emergency department approval . This again , is an election promise that we know will not be upheld .

The UAP direct funds to the Rouse Hill project will ensure we have a fully equipped hospital with and fully operational emergency department to accommodate the growing population in the western sector of our electorate . As a resident in Riverstone , I will ensure this project is completed quickly to service our new estates in the local area .

Will your party protect Medicare ?

Medicare is the key reason our country has one of the best health systems in the world . It provides quality , safe , and affordable health care for all Australians . It is also the reason we enjoy the longest life

expectancies in the world before Covid-19 .

Without Medicare we are stripping away the essential health system of our country . UAP will protect Medicare and its ability to keep our country health system the best in the world . And prevent the Liberals from removing or reducing its capacity to provide quality health services to Australians .

How will your party keep industry and trade jobs local ?

Over the past 15 years of Liberal and Labor governments , we have seen a loss of Australian jobs to overseas work visas and overseas industry . Through strong economic policy , UAP will bring back onshore manufacturing and local industry , creating more jobs for Australians . UAP economic policies will bring in revenue from our Iron ore exports ( not increasing taxes ) and return overseas superannuation investment back into the Australian equities market , that will directly create economic stability and growth in our onshore manufacturing , refining of our minerals to sell at higher prices and better returns for our economy . In turn , this will ultimately create more jobs for Australians

in each state and a more stable economy through future uncertain global crisis . Our mission is to provide Australians with a better future .

Can the Western Sydney Airport bring trade or commercial opportunities to our electorate ?

The need for the Western Sydney Airport is essential for the economic activity and growth of western Sydney , increasing local trade , small businesses , and commercial enterprise . It will bring more work directly to the western suburbs and provide better road , railway , and transport infrastructure where we need it the most . The opportunities presented with the western Sydney airport will increase domestic productivity in the western suburbs and in particular our local area .

The airport will create a national / international transport and logistics hub closer to the Western Suburbs providing a better domestic and freight services closer to our communities . It will allow western Sydney to become more independent from the overwhelmed Sydney Metro transport logistics and freight lines .