Mrs SALLY QUINNELL (Camden) (20:21): I speak on an issue that has affected my constituents, and the people of Western Sydney more broadly, for decades: the lack of access to localised health care in my electorate of Camden. The lack of local infrastructure has been a chronic issue for my constituents, stretching back many years. Local planning has been playing catch-up for decades, and today the community feels the effects of the severe lack of planning for population growth and consideration of local infrastructure and long‑term needs. Health care is no different. The lack of planning that has left the Macarthur region with a lack of infrastructure and transport has also left the area with a lack of localised healthcare services. The nearest major hospital for my constituents is Campbelltown. The staff there do amazing work in looking after community members that seek healthcare services, and we cannot thank them enough.

The problem with access to health care in my electorate persists, however. While Camden Hospital contains an emergency department, it does not have the facilities to cater for many of the emergency health needs that people face. Camden Hospital is under‑utilised and could be transformed into a hub of specialist services that the local community sorely needs. I am confident that this can be done with the right planning and approach. Camden and Campbelltown hospitals are simply not enough to support our local community, which remains one of the fastest growing in the country. Decades of planning failures have contributed to the lack of public healthcare facilities in the Macarthur region. With its continued population growth, we need more health services to keep up with demand.

I seek to highlight not only the lack of emergency departments for my constituents but also the lack of specialist services for the residents of Camden. The lack of MRI machines and cancer treatment services is especially prevalent in the community. The Camden local government area houses a population of over 100,000 people and will continue to grow rapidly in coming years. Despite the population, Camden only has one MRI machine that is bulk billed, resulting in long waiting periods and delayed diagnoses. Worse yet, patients who cannot afford to wait or pay for expensive tests out of their own pocket can be forced to undertake long travel times, heading into Sydney where MRI machines are more abundant. A recent study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare highlights that the number of MRI scans per capita in Camden is significantly lower than the national average and the average wait time for an MRI scan is approximately six weeks, contributing to delays in diagnoses.

Another impact of the lack of localised health services in Camden is the impact on cancer patients. As members know, cancer is a terrible disease that can upend a person's life and have terrible long‑term effects on a person's health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, Camden Hospital does not contain any dedicated cancer treatment facilities, forcing residents to travel long distances, often to areas much closer to the Sydney CBD, for essential treatments. This not only adds to existing burdens on patients but also contributes to delays in accessing the vital care that patients deserve. Worse still, a report by Cancer Institute NSW found that Camden has one of the highest cancer rates per capita in New South Wales, and cancer patients in my electorate are sometimes forced to travel 50‑plus kilometres to access specialised cancer treatment centres.

The information I have presented tells a long story. It tells a story of neglect and a lack of planning from the previous Government, which sought to build houses on the fringes of Sydney without providing the essential services needed to support the growing population. The lack of MRI machines and cancer treatment services is only part of the problem, but I seek to highlight those issues, which have a grave impact on members of the community. It is not good enough for my constituents to have extremely limited access to health care when their needs are great and only growing. I thank the Minister for Health for recognising the issues my constituents face in receiving healthcare services that are not only available but also affordable. The people of Camden are under‑serviced by healthcare facilities, and we must work to improve access for the whole community. On this side of the House, we are committed to doing exactly that.