10th September, 2025.
With its growth from a regional outer metro area that relied on nearby Campbelltown, Wollongong or even Canberra, Wollondilly's future is very bright. We will have the growth and fill‑in development that will make the villages and towns grow. With this growth and extra people there will be a reliance on a lot of extra services. The more attractive investments like new roads, education facilities and small park upgrades are often at the top of someone's mind as an area changes from a small village to a regional centre. What is not considered is the distance needed to travel for essential services, and not just ordinary services: I mean services that unwell people need to provide them with a chance to survive.
Cancer is the big silent killer. There are many charities and days recognising different types of cancer, but we do not consider that, in order to get treatment and fight, often patients deal with high amounts of radiation and need to be given comfort. Modern cancer treatment centres are usually built with a dozen or so chairs administered by doctors and nursing staff who treat patients with rare diseases and cancers that need special treatment. The day I was elected to council in 2004 was also the day I was informed by my glum‑looking GP that I had adenocarcinoma and they did not know where the primary was. I cannot remember my first two years on council, as I had many rounds of chemo, radiation and surgery. Once, I was feeling very sorry for myself when a young child with no hair, pale, sitting in a wheelchair and dressed in a hospital gown asked me if I was okay. I told myself to buck up. I had nothing to complain about. I learnt that someone is always worse off than you.
During this time, there was a drug called Herceptin that took my chances of survival from fifty-fifty to 95 per cent. While the cost of $3,300 every three weeks for a year was prohibitive for most people, I managed to get my very last treatment on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. To obtain the drug, I had to visit treatment centres far outside of Wollondilly, which brings me to the need that we have today: a cancer treatment centre at Bowral hospital. Statistics show that the Wollondilly and Southern Highlands areas have the same volume of patients as areas like Bankstown, but we have no public treatment centre. To make matters worse—as happened with my own treatment—due to seeing specialist doctors in other hospitals, the patient numbers in Wollondilly count towards the mega-hospital areas and do not count towards our own area. The number we have does not even count the patients that are privately referred outside the region.
We need to start investing outside of the city and reinforce the great work done at our regional public hospitals. It is not a matter of either/or. The existing care facilities in mega-hospitals are needed, but we also need the services in the region. Recently the Government progressed with the Bowral and District Hospital revitalisation. This revitalisation has made the hospital look a lot better, but we are yet to see increased services that give the best value for the actual improvement. Recently I met with representatives of the Country Women's Association [CWA] Wollondilly Group, who have publicly called for support for the funding of a cancer treatment centre at Bowral hospital. President Jennifer Woodwell said:
CWA advocates for public cancer patients in the Southern Highlands to receive treatment in Bowral.
The population across the Southern Highlands has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and this growth is set to accelerate. Simultaneously, the dramatic expansion in South West Sydney particularly in Menangle Park, Wilton, and the Western Sydney Airport corridor means our residents will be competing for oncology services at already stretched hospitals in Campbelltown and Liverpool.
Despite increasing demand, Southern Highlands cancer patients are currently served by a small public/private partnership clinic operating from a private hospital, supported only part-time by generalist oncologists from Campbelltown. Many people are still travelling long distances for diagnosis and treatment, some over 90 minutes each way, placing immense physical, emotional, and financial strain on patients and their families.
I know we have space at Bowral for those chairs. I thank the Country Women's Association for adding their voice to our call for a cancer treatment centre at Bowral hospital. I will not rest until the centre is delivered so that we get the services to match the growth that we have received. As an Independent, I get to lobby for what is needed, not what is politically easy. I look forward to working with the Government to get this vital service for the Wollondilly and Southern Highlands community.