I recently had the pleasure of opening a new public housing development in Edgeworth.

The funding for this is part of the Rudd Govern-ment stimulus package.

The government has invested almost $18 million for new housing in Charlton.

At the opening I met a constituent named Stuart Chappell.

He told me he had been living in an old bus in his mother’s backyard.

I cannot adequately con-vey how much it meant to Stuart to finally have a home of his own.

His thanks were over-whelming and is something I will long remember.

These much-needed public houses provided work for around 40 local tradespeople and labourers, including six apprentices.

The government inves-ted $99 million in the schools in Charlton and this maintenance and building work is currently under way.

Toronto foreshore up-grade is due to open at the end of the year and work on the eastern side of the lake is forging ahead.

These two projects received more than $4 million.

With health being the biggest issue in the Charlton electorate, what is being done to curb the severe doctor shortage?

The Rudd Labor Government has invested $275 million for new GP super clinics across the country, including one in the Charlton electorate.

I am please to announce the government’s $2.5 million comm-itment for a super clinic in Charlton is being delivered.

The super clinic will assist to improve health services in my electorate.

Super clinics will provide primary health-care services where they are needed and I’m pleased some early services are being provided from our clinic.

In August, the super clinic in Morisset, opened new physio-therapy services and it is expected to be fully operational in early 2010.

In addition to this initiative, the government recognises the need to address the workforce issue.

This is why the government has, in partnership with the states, developed the Health Workforce National Partnerships.

The Government is investing $500 million to support the expansion of undergraduate clinical training places and $86 million to provide 212 additional ongoing GP training places.

This means our region will receive 33 GP university training places.

The government is also reinvesting in the prevocational general practice placements program, allowing around 360 junior doctors to spend training time in their postgraduate years in general practice, lifting the previous cap of 280.