By Olivia Condous
Melton residents are suffering the consequences of poor government city planning, leaving them without easy access to vital services such as doctors clinics.
A new study from the Australian Urban Observtory (AUO) at RMIT University highlighted the suburbs with the worst geographical access to GP clinics, with Eynesbury recording the worst result of the Melbourne suburbs where data was gathered.
According to the study, the average distance Eynesbury residents had to travel to the nearest GP clinic was 12.5 kilometres.
AUO director associate professor Melanie Davern said the way the government planned new suburbs was to blame for poor access to essential services.
“A new area is developed but the houses go in first and any other service comes later,” Ms Davern said.
“That’s where the issue rises, because the houses go in but the people who first buy those houses are really living in an area that is serviced by nothing.”
Ms Davern said the government provision of infrastructure such as shopping centres, which often housed GP clinics, and schools was based on population growth.
“That’s why you might see a ten year delay between a new suburb being developed and a school going in,” she said.
“There’s such a delay in time that the people who first adopt a new area, they’re suffering and they’re being penalized for being the early adopters and movers to those areas.”
The suburb of Eynesbury is secluded from the rest of the Melton area and while it has a primary school and some other facilities, there are no healthcare services nearby.
Ms Davern said that doctor clinics often won’t open in small population suburbs as they prioritise areas with a sufficient customer base.
“They’re looking to put themselves in place where the need is and where people are already living.”
For residents located several kilometres from the nearest clinic, there were multiple barriers that made doctor visits much harder.
“They have to obviously really plan when they’re going to see a doctor,” Ms Davern said.
“Transport is the next issue, if you can’t get on public transport to get there, you need to be able to drive there.
“If you’re sick or if you have pre-existing health conditions, getting to a doctor is actually harder in those doctor desert areas. You’ve just got these double layers of disadvantage occurring.”
The study did not record data on other newer suburbs in the City of Melton, such as Thornhill Park or Fieldstone.
