Concerns over Pilbara doctor shortage

The Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls has accused the Carpenter Government of filling its coffers with north west royalties yet washing its hands of the chronic doctor shortage in the region.

"When I wrote to Jim McGinty asking him to financially support initiatives, including housing, to attract GP services to the Roebourne shire, he virtually told me not to bother," he said.

"He said that in many country towns in regional WA, local government has accepted the cost of financing private doctors in order to assure their ratepayers of local medical services."

Mr Grylls said the Minister had written to him, saying: 'I must strongly encourage the Shire of Roebourne to look to local industry to help support private medical businesses because their workforce will demand such services and benefit from them.'

"According to Mr McGinty, if a community wants a doctor, it is up to the shire and local businesses to make it happen," Mr Grylls said.

"The shire, along with Woodside, Pilbara Iron, Burrup Fertilisers and Dampier Salt, has stepped up to the plate for this project but the greedy city-centric Carpenter Government is nowhere to be seen - an ominous sign for regional WA when six regional seats are transferred to the city under the one-vote-one-value legislation, " he said.

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Brendon Grylls MLA

Leader of Nationals WA, Member for Merredin.

Pilbara shires get brush-off from McGinty over doctor shortage

Shires in the booming Pilbara have received a curt message from Health Minister Jim McGinty to take a begging bowl into private sector boardrooms if they want to improve private medical services in their towns.

The Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls, who is currently visiting the Pilbara, accused the Carpenter Government of filling its coffers with North West royalties yet washing its hands of the chronic doctor shortage in the region.

"When I wrote to Jim McGinty asking him to financially support initiatives, including housing, to attract GP services to the Roebourne shire, he virtually told me not to bother," he said.

"He said that in many country towns in regional WA, local government has accepted the cost of financing private doctors in order to assure their ratepayers of local medical services."

Mr Grylls said the Minister had written to him, saying: 'I must strongly encourage the Shire of Roebourne to look to local industry to help support private medical businesses because their workforce will demand such services and benefit from them.'

"According to Mr McGinty, if a community wants a doctor, it is up to the shire and local businesses to make it happen," Mr Grylls said.

"Despite massive royalty flows from the Pilbara, the Minister made it patently clear that shires like Roebourne will have to knock on corporate doors for sponsorship if they want to improve medical services.

"It is disgraceful that the State Government, with its so-called supercharged V8 economy and $1 billion half-year surplus, wants to transfer the entire burden to the private sector.

"It seems the State Government would rather build its Sapphire Clock Spire on top of the Mandurah Railway Station and a set of steel uprights on the Perth Esplanade than help build houses for doctors at Roebourne."

Mr Grylls said he had met with the Roebourne shire and the project would go ahead despite the State Government's refusal to lend support.

"North West Coastal MLA Fred Reibeling assured locals the State would contribute $750,000 but it is now obvious he didn't have any clout with his Labor colleagues.

"The shire, along with Woodside, Pilbara Iron, Burrup Fertilisers and Dampier Salt, has stepped up to the plate for this project but the greedy city-centric Carpenter Government is nowhere to be seen - an ominous sign for regional WA when six regional seats are transferred to the city under the one-vote-one-value legislation, " he said.