The Royal Flying Doctor Service base at Launceston Airport is a vital part of the northern Tasmanian community and health system and must not be downgraded or moved south. In 2007-08, the Flying Doctors helped 1,654 patients. But last September we discovered that the Bartlett Labor Government had the highly-respected RFDS in its sights – considering abolition of the fixed wing service and/or relocating the air retrieval base to Hobart.

When I was the federal member for Bass, the Liberal government funded the RFDS with $5m from the 2007 Federal Budget. This provided funding for primary health care services to people on our remote Bass Strait islands, including a place I hold dear in my heart, the community of Flinders Island. I know it has meant a great deal to the community, and I’m proud of my role in assisting the RFDS.

But what of the Bartlett plan to downgrade or move our RFDS base to Hobart?  Of course the Bass Labor MPs haven’t wanted to talk about this issue because the Bartlett plan is obviously totally misguided. The Flying Doctor service is not an area to look for savings, and moving the base south would mean much longer wait times for people needing urgent medical attention in the north, and longer travel times for transfer to Melbourne.

We can’t trust Giddings and Bartlett to preserve and protect the RFDS.

A Hodgman Liberal Government will safeguard the future and guarantee Launceston remains the home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania, while delivering innovative new “flying clinics” to Tasmanians in remote areas.

By entering into a strategic and capital-sharing partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (a not for profit organization), and the Australian Government, the benefits for Tasmanians will be significant.

This partnership will benefit Tasmania by –

• Introducing a new fully equipped King Air B200C in 2011 to provide inter-hospital transfers and emergency retrievals;
• Retaining the existing fixed wing aircraft as a back-up for maintenance and to deliver new “flying clinics” to Tasmanians such as the West Coast, East Coast, Bass Strait islands and far North-West;
• Retention of more than $1 million in infrastructure invested by the RFDS in Launceston;
• Keeping the leading edge aero medical simulator (currently being commissioned in Launceston), making the State a national centre for excellence for flight paramedic training in Australia;
• Retention of Commonwealth funds facilitated by the RFDS for primary health services to the Bass Strait islands.

This partnership is exciting for Tasmanians living in remote areas of the State, including the North East and Flinders Island.

It means we retain a much-loved and respected iconic service in Tasmania, we retain a professional workforce and an organization with an excellent reputation and national networks, and the RFDS is also committing to redirect all funds raised by their activities in Tasmania into their traditional services in the State.

The exciting and added bonus of our plan is a second aircraft which opens up opportunities for “flying clinics” to be operated by the RFDS as it currently does in other States.

These “flying clinics” would see regular visitation programs by health professionals and allied health services, including dental services, into remote areas of the West, East and North-West Coasts, as well as the Bass Strait Islands.
Tasmanian taxpayers also win; it is estimated this partnership will save in excess of $6.8 million in capital expenditure, and approximately $823,000 per annum in operating expense savings.

Under the Liberal plan those savings will be redirected into providing the “flying clinics” on a regular weekly basis.
Importantly, the total cost to the Government and taxpayers to provide a significantly enhanced level of service to the community will be substantially lower than any contestable State contract could achieve.

If the RFDS were lost to Tasmania – and the State Labor Government has foreshadowed reconsideration of its contract – Tasmania will also lose millions of dollars of investment in infrastructure including the Launceston hangar and new simulator, a professional workforce, Commonwealth funds (only available to States that deliver “traditional” RFDS services).

A profit -based operator would need to duplicate similar infrastructure or purchase RFDS assets at a significant premium.

The Liberal-RFDS plan would require the Australian Government to contribute 33% or $2.76 million of the capital cost of the new aircraft, with the balance shared equally between a Hodgman Liberal Government and the RFDS at $2.75 million each.

Having met with the RFDS and local aero-paramedics about the importance of their service and affirmed my strong support I am delighted with this policy position. I recognise and congratulate my Liberal Leader Will Hodgman and our Health Spokesman Brett Whiteley for their joint announcement (above) 14 January 2010.