LABOR’S $1M SHOT IN THE ARM FOR HEALTHCARE

LABOR have put healthcare back on the agenda with a $1m commitment aimed at boosting the sector in the Torres Strait Islands.

Leichhardt Labor candidate Elida Faith was joined by Opposition spokeswoman for Early Childhood Education and Development Amanda Rishworth at the TAFE campus in Manunda to make the announcement. “The healthcare sector is vital for communities in Cape York and Thursday Island and for too long we know that the Morrison government has neglected these essential services,” Ms Faith said.

The funding will go towards a healthcare hub that will be connected to the Thursday Island TAFE. The hub will simulate a hospital setting, comprising two rooms with six beds each. Ms Rishworth said the commitment will support local entry into TAFE courses such as a Diploma of Nursing or Certificate IV in Aboriginal Primary Healthcare.

“Labor is committed to investing in regional TAFE. The only way people in the regions can get the healthcare they need is by having a trained workforce.”