Medical experts are saying the bushfires are a public health emergency – and Labor agrees.
Here’s what the Government can do right now to make sure Australians have access to the health and mental health services they need and deserve.
THREAD:
Here’s what the Government can do right now to make sure Australians have access to the health and mental health services they need and deserve.
THREAD:
Access to medical care in bushfire-affected areas needs to be ensured with more support for GPs, specialists and primary care providers, and by allowing access to Medicare telehealth items as we do in drought-affected areas.
People are breathing the bushfire crisis every day. Air quality in our cities have been some of the most hazardous in the world. That’s why we need to warn people about the dangers of bushfire smoke and research the long-term health impacts of more severe bushfire seasons.
For bushfire-affected areas, the health impacts of fire aren’t always physical. We need to lift the cap on the number of mental health consultations allowed under Medicare and deploy more mental health experts.
Kids and first responders are also some of the hardest hit. We need to provide counsellors and extra support for children and families when school returns, and the recommendations of the recent Senate inquiry into first responders’ mental health need to be implemented.
These are practical, constructive ideas that would make an immediate difference for people on the ground. They deserve bipartisan support.
Full media release with @Bowenchris here: 
