Dr Duke Mataka is Tonga’s sole ophthalmologist and provides specialist eye care services, including to local communities in remote parts of his country. The Kingdom of Tonga has a population of over 100,000 across 45 inhabited islands—scattered over 700,000 square kilometres of ocean. With such a small population spread across such a vast area, many rely on visiting health professionals for everything from primary health care to sight-restoring surgeries.
“Because we don’t know when we’ll be back,” Dr Mataka reflects, “we’re always under pressure to get through all the operations. The doctors have to work on rotation, sometimes into the night, to ensure we see all the people who need our help.”
About the Author
Senator the Hon David Fawcett
Senator the Hon David Fawcett served in the Australian Defence Force for over 22 years. An Army pilot, he flew helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was the Senior Flying Instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Queensland. Graduating as an experimental test pilot from the Empire Test Pilots’ School (UK), he finished his full time career in Defence as the Commanding Officer of the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit.
Elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Wakefield (SA) in 2004, he served in the Parliament until 2007. David continued to fly as a test pilot and ran a small business working in the Defence and Aviation sectors prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, 2016 and again in 2019. In the 45th Parliament, David was sworn as the Assistant Minister for Defence. David is currently the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, a member of the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade – both Legislation and References, and a member of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges.
