Opposition Health spokesman Joe Hockey has already claimed the 31 clinics – being funded at a capital works cost of $275.2 million alone – are evidence the famous pork barrel has already made an appearance.

He says 22 of the 31 locations are either in marginal electorates or seats that were targeted by Labor in 2007.

While we don’t totally concur with his view there do seem to be errors of both commission and omission given some of the goals the clinics were supposed to achieve.

Professor Kidd, who made his observations in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, is the head of general practice at the University of Sydney.

He is also a man who has been practising medicine in the community for

24 years.

The professor suggests that if the clinics are to work then they must go to areas where there is a shortage of GPs and other health professionals.

The Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has said the sites were actually determined by “existing workforce levels, Medicare access and whether a clinic could take pressure off the local public hospital”.

What is evident is that inland NSW – one of the areas you would assume would qualify regardless of whether you were working on Ms Roxon’s or Dr Kidd’s criteria – has totally missed the boat.

Why doesn’t that surprise us?

While a small community such as Ballan – in the narrowly held Labor seat of Ballarat – gets a clinic, nothing west of the Blue Mountains in NSW makes the grade.

Ballan is closer to Ballarat, which has one of the best hospitals in regional Australia, than Manilla is to Tamworth.

Bendigo, a little over 100km from Ballan – and also with an excellent regional hospital – also scores a clinic.

Yes, an independent review of this program is certainly needed. And soon.