Cranbourne residents Lisa Marshall and Josephine Ferns with Casey mayor Kevin Bradford and Holt MP Anthony Byrne who are all pushing to have the Cranbourne branch of Medicare open on Saturdays. Picture: Luke Plummer.
By Sarah Schwager
CRANBOURNE residents, councillors and a Federal MP are again lobbying over the local Medicare office.
After 10 years of appealing for a branch to be opened in Cranbourne, the Medicare office was unveiled at the Cranbourne Centro Shopping Centre in April last year.
However, locals are now up in arms about the branch’s short opening hours.
They say Cranbourne is again missing out, with working people still having to travel to talk face to face to Medicare staff.
They want the office open on Saturday mornings and Thursday nights, as are other branches in the area – Dandenong, Frankston and Fountain Gate.
Federal Labor Holt MP Anthony Byrne said he would be taking the issue to Parliament when it reconvenes as well as directly to Human Services Minister Joe Hockey.
“This Cranbourne Medi-care office is the only office in the region that doesn’t have extended hours,” Mr Byrne said.
“It is unfair, given that residents lobbied so hard to get the office open, that it doesn’t open on Thursday night or Saturday morning.”
He said he would be asking Mr Hockey why Cranbourne had been discriminated against once again.
“Residents and community leaders have told me of their dismay about the Medicare office not being open on Saturday mornings unlike everywhere else,” he said.
Cranbourne’s Josephine Ferns said she conducted research to find out how the lack of a nearby branch was affecting residents and businesses.
“The only nearby branches were Warragul, Frankston or Dandenong. It was definitely needed,” she said.
She said people did not feel comfortable paying over the Internet and preferred to talk to someone in person.
Ms Fern said the Cranbourne branch was fantastic and the girls were very helpful, but those who worked full time found it impossible to get to the branch. “Even banks are starting to open on Saturdays,” she said.
Mr Byrne said they had put up a 10-year fight to get the Medicare office in Cranbourne. “Are we going to have to have another 10-year campaign to get it open longer?” Mr Byrne said.
“You wonder why people say Cranbourne is often left out by the Government.”
A spokeswoman for Federal Liberal Flinders MP Greg Hunt said the Cranbourne office had come about as a result of Mr Hunt working tirelessly with local residents to secure the Medicare office.
“If local residents would like to contact Mr Hunt he would be delighted to take this matter up directly with the Minister on their behalf.”
