Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, has asked Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, to come clean on the future of the region’s hospital management.

“I previously raised concerns the Minister was considering merging all Gippsland hospitals under one chief executive and one board, but in response, the Minister said I was playing politics and ‘no hospitals will close’.

“There was never any suggestion from me hospital sites would close. The concern is that consideration is being given to merging of all the Gippsland hospital boards into one, and we know this is on the table because hospital board members from across the region have told us,” Mr Bull siad.

“What has happened here is the Minister has provided an answer to a question that was not asked, and we simply want to know what her plans are.

“These board amalgamations are what has already occurred in the west of the state with Grampians Health, where smaller hospitals like Edenhope and Hamilton have lost their say, left only with ‘advisory boards’ that have no teeth.

“It has prompted Northern Grampians Shire Council to move a vote of no confidence in Grampians Health,” he said.

Mr Bull expressed concerns that some Gippsland Hospital Boards had also lost their local majority and, in some cases, now had a majority of members from outside the local area and who had been appointed by the Minister.

“This leaves local representation on most boards in the minority, and we need to support these board members to ensure their views are heard in representing our communities.

“The question for the Minister to answer is simple – will she rule out amalgamating our hospitals under one centralised board and chief executive?”

Monday, 24 June 2024

Local Nationals MP and Shadow Minister for Ageing, Tim Bull, is urging the Gippsland East community to nominate one of the many hardworking and dedicated senior volunteers for the upcoming Victorian Senior of the Year Awards.
Nominations are now open for the 2024 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards, celebrating senior Victorians who share their skills, experience, time and energy with our community.
There are six categories of awards, including:
• Victorian Senior of the Year - for outstanding contribution to the local community and Victoria
• Promotion of Multiculturalism Award - for promoting the benefits of cultural diversity
• Healthy and Active Living Award - for helping create active and healthy communities
• Veteran Community Award - for exceptional contributions to the veteran community
• Ageing Well Award - for combatting ageism and promoting ageing well initiatives
• Council on the Ageing Victorian Senior Achiever Award - for significant contribution to local communities and Victoria
Mr Bull said the award ceremony will be held in October, which will coincide with the annual Victorian Seniors Festival.
“All nominees will receive certificates acknowledging their contributions.
“Nominations can be submitted digitally through a new online platform until 11 August, and nominees must be aged 60 years or over, and 50 years or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians,” Mr Bull said.
To make a nomination, visit Seniors Online and complete a nomination form at seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/awards

Monday, 17 June 2024

With future funding of the wild dog control program uncertain past October this year, Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, is this week launching a petition to secure its future.

“What I am calling on is for the Minister to end the uncertainty around the program and announce its continuation unchanged,” he said.

The petition calls for the “urgent need to recommit to the wild dog control program, and requests:

• The three kilometre buffer zone for controlling dogs be retained without alteration,
• All control measures currently available to doggers be retained without alteration,
• The annual publishing of the number and location of wild dogs euthanized by doggers, and
• The annual publishing of stock losses and reports made by community members in relation to wild dog attacks.

“There is a clear lack of understanding of the importance of the program in this city-centric government, they really have no idea of the impact on the ground,” said Mr Bull.

“Time and again I have explained that to remove the three kilometre buffer zone (an area where doggers can undertake controls on public land adjacent to private freehold) would spell disaster.

“Once a dog is on private land it is too late, and it is impossible to trap a dog in an open paddock. Whereas in the land adjacent to freehold, the doggers can effectively trap on the tracks and trails the dogs use.

“The government also believes the solution lies in farmers installing better fencing and while there is no doubt this is a big part of controls, it cannot be solely relied upon.

“We have falling branches, sambar deer, wombats and other factors that bring fences down, so we need every option available.”

Mr Bull said the petition would be made available both in hard copy and online and anyone who wanted some sheets should contact his office.

To sign the petiton, please go to https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/victorias-wild-dog-program/.

Tuesday, 11 June 2024

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, has flagged concerns the Labor State Government plans to amalgamate all Gippsland hospitals under one chief executive and board, likely to be located in the Latrobe Valley.

“The Minister has already undertaken this process in the western districts of Victoria where a number of health services have been merged under the ‘Grampians Health’ banner, run out of Ballarat – and that hasn’t gone well for the smaller communities,” he said.

“I am aware there has already been discussions with representatives of Bairnsdale, Orbost and Omeo hospitals, and it is of great concern to me this is going to be implemented with little wider community knowledge or feedback.

“Highlighting this, is that when asked in the recent Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearings, the Minister and Health Department Secretary said government has received a report into the organisation of Victoria’s 76 health services, but will not release it,” Mr Bull said.

When asked, the Secretary failed to rule out that the report contains recommendations to forcibly amalgamate Victorian health services. Further, Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas, flagged a sweeping restructure to health services and their financing over the coming financial year.

Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier, said “Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage our health system and Victorians are paying the price”.

“Labor continues to hide its secret plan to cut, close and amalgamate health services across the state. Their priorities are all wrong. The Allan Labor Government can find the money for a $216 billion train line but cannot afford to keep hospitals open and running across the state,” she said.

Mr Bull said he was concerned if we lost our local hospital CEOs and boards that represent their communities, we would lose local input into the health services.

“What they have set up on the other side of the state is local advisory boards, but they have no teeth and can only give advice that is easily dismissed.

“Reports indicate that specialist visits have, in many cases, been centralised to Ballarat at the expense of hospitals like Edenhope and Horsham. Other hospital services have been centralised with loss of local jobs and staff morale has plummeted.

Wednesday, 5 June 2024

“We don’t need any more job losses in our towns after what Labor has done to the timber industry. The Government should be investing more in health and supporting communities.

“It is time the Minister came clean on the content of the report and the options she is considering,” he said.

The Victorian Government has been asked to clarify who is responsible for costs when trees on public land fall across private fences.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, raised the matter in Parliament recently, due to the frustration of local landholders.

“We have a situation where landholders can only clear one metre from their fence lines without approval, or they are charged with illegal vegetation clearing laws,” Mr Bull said.

“However, the situation arises where they identify trees outside this one metre buffer that are likely to fall in a storm.

“Then, when the inevitable happens, they are forced to pick up the bill of fixing their fences, which is unfair.

“There is an avenue to have these trees pre-assessed but it is onerous, untimely and often rules out removal of trees that inevitably fall.”

Mr Bull said he had one case recently at Bonang where a storm resulted in several trees falling over boundary fencing, causing considerable damage.

“The State Government cannot have it both ways. If they do not allow for appropriate clearing adjacent to private property, they must then assist with costs when these trees fall and cause damage.

“Some of these trees are over 20 metres tall and are within 10 metres of boundary fencing.

“Therefore, I have asked the Minister to review the process and advise what avenues are available to landholders in this situation as clearly the status quo is resulting in costly repair bills landowners have to foot,” he said.

Caption: A tree situated in the road reserve next to private property has fallen across farm fencing, prompting Nationals MP Tim Bull, to ask who is responsible for the costs of repair.

Monday, 3 June 2024