Today, I am pleased to open Bond University's Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine Building.
The Australian Government will contribute $4.5 million towards Bond University's costs of $20 million for the construction of its Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine Building.
I am particularly pleased that the Australian Government is able to contribute to the efforts of Bond University to establish a new medical programme and to boost the medical workforce in Queensland. The programme has a strong emphasis on regional health services, including rural and regional medical practice.
In May 2005, 72 students started Bond University's medical programme and are expected to graduate in 2009. More than 80 new students are expected to start in May 2006.
The Australian Government encourages the participation by private universities, including Bond University, in the Australian tertiary education sector. Bond University was Australia's first private university, founded in 1987 with teaching beginning in 1989. And it is significant that Bond University's contribution to medical places is additional to Commonwealth-supported places, providing increased options for students.
It is extremely important to ensure that Australia's health workforce continues to develop to meet the changing needs of the community. The new medical programme at Bond University is one part of the solution to addressing our health workforce needs. In addition, as I announced on 8 April 2006, my government will invest around $250 million over four years to train more doctors and nurses.
This includes funding 400 new medical school places a year, with some of the new places commencing in 2007 and the full 400 available by 2009. The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop MP, will be consulting states and territories directly about the allocation of these places.
We also provided 246 new medical places available from 2005 as part of Strengthening Medicare.
Alongside other initiatives, this will result in a more than 60 per cent increase in the number of medical graduates from 2005 to 2011.
I also note that the recent agreement by the Australian Government to allow universities to increase the number of full-fee paying medical students provides a further opportunity for universities to train more doctors. For example, in Queensland, there is the potential to enrol over 130 more full-fee paying medical students, subject to student demand, university capacity and clinical training availability in the hospital system.
It is not possible to train new doctors in university alone. Medical students and doctors training to become specialists also need clinical training places in hospitals and other appropriate settings, senior doctors to teach and supervise them during their training in hospitals, and sufficient supervised experience with patients during their training years . All of this requires commitments by state and territory governments to meet the training requirements of all new medical students in the hospital system and other appropriate settings.
I therefore reiterate my request that the states and the territories guarantee that they will provide clinical placements for all new medical students, including appropriate supervision and clinical experience. In addition, in response to the Commonwealth's contribution to the health workforce, I call on states and territories to play their part in investing in Australia's health workforce, including through providing new vocational and technical education places for enrolled nursing and other health disciplines.