Wednesday, 1 May 2024

Colac Area Health

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (17:28): (857) My adjournment matter is for the attention of the Minister for Health, and it is in relation to the fake patient scandal at Colac health. Colac health has been in the news for the wrong reasons around this scandal, but I think there needs to be some transparency around what has actually gone on. As we know, there are many fantastic clinicians, doctors, nurses, physios, pharmacists – everyone who supports that health service in that community. We saw what they did through COVID; they were magnificent.

There is an issue around this, and I do understand that there are some people that have been implicated in it. I do understand that this afternoon Colac health itself is ordering that counselling be undertaken, but it is also my understanding that the department knew about this incident back in September – so they sat on it since September and did nothing about what had gone on. To say that no-one knew about this up until this year is completely wrong.

Quite rightly, an investigation has taken place, but what is not right is that the report has not been made public. If there are people’s names in there, redact them, but in the interests of the community of Colac and in the interests of the community of Victoria I think we need greater transparency. The action I seek is for the minister to release the report. The Colac community deserve nothing less, and the Victorian community deserve nothing less.