Liberal Senator for Tasmania David Bushby has welcomed the Auditor-General's national inquiry into Labor's $650 million GP Super Clinic program, in the hope it will confirm what the Coalition has been saying for years - that it's been poorly implemented and lacks accountability of taxpayer's money.
The audit will be used to assess whether the clinics are filling gaps in the health system, providing after-hours care and adding to existing services. It will also look into why each location was chosen.
"The examination of the GP Super Clinic program is well overdue," Senator Bushby said.
"The whole program has been riddled with problems from the start which have ended up wasting taxpayer's money without delivering improved health services."
Tasmania was promised four GP Super Clinics - in Burnie, Devonport, Clarence and Sorell - five years ago as part of the national program.
The Burnie, Devonport and Clarence Super Clinics have all been fraught with problems, including a lack of doctors, restricted opening hours and issues surrounding bulk billing. In October last year in response to pressure from Senator Bushby the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, announced that plans for the $2.5 million Super Clinic in Sorell had been scrapped.
"Communities across Australia continue to be deceived by the Government. The Department of Health and Ageing conducted an internal audit late last year, however the results have never been released," Senator Bushby said. "It's time the Government is forced to come clean on how their mistakes keep wasting taxpayer's money."
There has still been no announcement made about where the remaining $2 million from the Sorell Super Clinic will be spent.
