Labor candidate for Bega Michael Holland pledges more specialists and tiered housing approach for region

NSW Labor candidate for Bega Michael Holland appeared with Shadow Minister for Local Government Greg Warren in Bega on Wednesday, February 2, to discuss issues facing Far South Coast communities.

Dr Holland said he and Mr Warren had spent the morning meeting with Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher and had an afternoon appointment with Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick.

"We've got very common themes between the Eurobodalla and Bega, health is really top of themes in both ends of the electorate, number two is the really hard one of solving the housing shortage and homelessness," said Dr Holland.

"There's no short term solutions but what people want from government is actually good government, policy that goes through the term of their government and that's also combined with good governance to see it through with actual commitments."

Dr Holland said negotiating ratios with nurses over the next 12 months would be a process on the radar if a Labor government was elected next year.

He was critical of the increase in management when nursing staff had only experienced a minor increase by comparison.

He said that a Labor government would be committed to going out and actively recruiting nurses, midwives, health service unit workers, allied health to fill what he said were, "a range of vacancies and unfulfilled redundancy positions".

"I think there's a top heavy arrangement in NSW Health and that's what the people at the coal face will tell you," he said.

READ ALSO:

He said that with the new Eurobodalla hospital being built, a key priority for a Labor member would be creating access to public specialists services and said that every hospital should have access to outpatient clinic services in specialities.

"People shouldn't have to rely on the false economy of having to see a private specialist only. That's the way I used to work in Newcastle and I think most doctors would see that as part of their social responsibility."

READ ALSO: Paid aged care traineeships trialled in Bega Valley to address healthcare sector shortages

When asked about how additional specialists or nurses would be recruited to the Bega electorate without adequate housing stock, Dr Holland said a three tiered approach would be implemented.

"It's not something that a local government alone could solve.

"Bega Valley Shire Council has already got a Draft Housing Strategy and I've read it and it's got some very good and innovative ideas, but it comes down to building.

"We need a wider variety of accommodation and housing for people from social housing, to rental, to social housing and that needs flexibility from the builders to look at alternatives, it needs flexibility from council to improve their development applications," he said.

Mr Warren was critical of Premier Dominic Perrottet's visit to Bega today and said he was "making promises" only due to the fact, "there's another election around the corner".

"The Premier can turn up for a photo opportunity but it means nothing without being backed-up. What we need to see is a local representative who does what they say and who doesn't just turn up for a photo opportunity," he said.

"People see through this kind of thing, people are tired of politicians turning up for a photo opportunity and to go and make another broken promise just for the sake of getting elected."

On what state government could do to help provide land for social housing initiatives, Mr Warren said federal, state, and local government need to work together to look at what land council has available, what investments state can make, and backed-up financial investments from federal.