Sean Dillon, Gregory MP (2) – Kidney Dialysis Facilities (15 September)

0:00Welcome back to Rural Queens, Land Today. I guess this morning is Sean Dylan Sean. We talked about the new dialysis chairs happening in Emerald. There's still a little bit of pushback with patients and subsidies and everything and rural patient subsidies and the shortfall there. Are you aware, like I mean, you're trying to get Emerald as a hub medically and that's right. People don't have to go as far as Rural Camp. Love that. Are you in a lot of ways understanding that there still is a little bit of unrest around the subsidy and the freight rebates that have happened for travel? Oh, 100% double. I hear people understand we talked earlier in the program of our cost for living affecting events. It's, you know, if it's affecting them, it's certainly affecting people who have to travel for medical appointments. But the single biggest lift in the percolometer rate, though, for patients and taking it to a nation leading

1:01is in the positive first step. And that's only just taking effect. So genuinely, I think that we're people traveling on their own, you know, I made the transportation in their own car. That's a really positive first step. We're also looking at ensuring that people can receive health treatment where and when you need it. And if you look across the state, you've got mothers that can now have babies and billowailer and cook down for the first time in a long time, that's their services were taken away from them right now. This is about restoring people's access to emergency health care. It is about filling that gap that exists in regional Queensland. We acknowledge that, well, I certainly acknowledge that the overnight stay rate is not where people would like it to be. We were forced with the choice, you know, of where do we go? We genuinely believe that the cost of travel,

2:02especially with fuel screaming through the Northwoods, both at the time the budget was done and ironically again, now we think that that left in per kilometres was something to the per kilometre rate, was something that would deliver the most impact for out-of-pocket expenses, given that vast kilometres of people right throughout my electorate in particular need to travel. So we're continuing to monitor the situation around overnight stay and other elements of patient travel subsidy, including the simplicity of claiming the money back when you have spent it and ensuring that that stream line, we know people, when we came to office were waiting way too long. We put dedicated resources into that and we're looking to further simplify that system as part of our upgrades in this budget to patient travel subsidy system. Yeah, and I'm pleased you're acknowledging it. Just quickly, I found a little ironic that the tougher bail condition laws that were passed through Parliament were voted against by a Labor government that was hell-bent on getting youth crime under control.

3:04I just don't understand how hypocritical they have literally, this is Stephen Miles and the Labor government, they claim that they want to try and get this state back on track, but the minute anything sensible comes through or over, they just vote against it, no matter what. And that was clear and evident and we need to start calling that out soon in a lot of ways, their behaviour. They are not in any way regional or rural Queensland's friends at all. No, because if youth concrosis is through a large part of it, right, I'm fortunate that it hasn't permeated in a large way, certainly not in a dangerous and significant way in degree, but my colleagues in, you know, Brockyne, that in Keynes in Macau, certainly seriously affected. And we're saying it doesn't matter whether you're a youth or an adult, if you're on bail for a crime, and then commit another serious offense, one of the 43 designated adult crime, adult crime offenses, you will serve a mandatory 12 months in jail.

4:06I mean, the premier is absolutely unacquivical when we've come under fire about how many people could go to jail. He doesn't care and nor do I. How many people end up in prison song as they're not in your lantern? And yet, laid out, we see, you know, they're continuing their hand ringing on this, and they can't possibly because they take their advice from criminals, not from victims of crime. Yeah. They're the ones who want to raise the age of criminal responsibility. They're the ones who've watered downbarrel provisions as soon as they came to office in 2015. They spent a decade in gendering and fostering the system as it is to facilitate a life of youth crime. We've done all we can do in two years. We're starting to turn that back around. We're starting to see a softening. There's a lot more to be done. And we believe that breach bail go to jail will be the next important step to help those, keep those received the offenders behind bars for the law. And I think when the sooner that they get called out for not supporting it and not in a lot of ways

5:09trying to give it under control, I think, you know, it's just ridiculous what's going on. Sadly, and you, Mick Gibson passing away, just an icon of the bush, the Gibson family and Gibson grazing have done wonderful things. Mick Gibson has been such an advocate. I was very saddened here of his passing over the last couple of days. He was an icon of the bush. Yeah, certainly my condolences to his family, the people that set the trail, you know, blaze the trails for generations to follow. And, you know, we can only, we'll tell his story in the fullness of time. But certainly a sad day for the industry, but I thought it's at a more personal level with his family and loved ones. Yeah, never done a lot of the bush, done a lot for the bush, Mick Gibson. And Gibson grazing have been very good. And you're right, do his three sons and he's white, but very, very sad to hear that. And so they're passing of Mick Gibson, just an icon.

6:09Sean Dillon, have a fun week in Parliament, mate. It's always fun. We appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for being with us. Great job. Thanks very much. Good on you. We're going to take a break. Come back plenty more to get through. This is Rural Queensland today.