14 Oct KEN FIGHTS FOR FLYNN – MINISTER VISITS GLADSTONE
Federal Minister for Fynn, Ken O’Dowd and Minister Mark Coulton Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government, and Assistant Trade & Investment Minister hosted a health forum in Gladstone last week.
Gladstone’s health services were the centre of local stakeholder discussions on Thursday after hard-working Federal Member for Flynn, Ken O’Dowd, took action to ensure relevant voices band together to chart a way forward.
“I have called in the big guns to help address the challenges faced by the local health sector, adding the forum would feature Regional Services Minister, Mark Coulton and local and national stakeholders”, Mr O’Dowd said.
“I’m very pleased to have my friend and colleague, Minister Coulton, join us to see first-hand Gladstone’s challenges and I certainly appreciate the interest from a range of national stakeholders who see Gladstone’s situation as an important one to address. Challenges facing local services are long-standing and diverse. I’ve called this forum with the intention of cutting through to the core issues by having a diverse assortment of local representatives – and state and national bodies – in the same room.
Federal Minister for Regional Services, Mark Coulton, said the forum offered an opportunity for a range of stakeholders to make clear both the challenges and opportunities before the local community.
Gladstone is set to feature prominently in a National rural health workforce conference later this month, the forum provides an exciting opportunity to provide information about the process.
Afterwards the Minister and Mr O’Dowd headed to the council chambers where we met with the Mayor and Councilors to get their view on the health situation and discussed plans for the region’s future.
