❓ Ms Mettam questions the Premier's alleged disregard for clinicians opposing the Women's and Babies' Hospital relocation to Murdoch. The Premier denies the accusation, instead accusing Ms Mettam of spreading misinformation and defends the decision to relocate based on time and practicality.
AnsweredQoN 625Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND BABIES' HOSPITAL —
RELOCATION
625. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Dr
Tim Pavy, Dr Mary Sharp, Dr David Andrews, Dr Donald Payne, Dr Jane Valentine,
Debbie Chiffings, Carrie Dunbar, Lauren Bell, Nicky van Someren, the
Australian Medical Association —
Point of Order
Dr A.D. BUTI : I refer to
standing order 77, which refers to long preambles —
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members! Points of order will be
heard in silence, thank you.
Dr A.D. BUTI : — and
extensive citation from other sources. I ask you, Deputy Speaker, to rule on
this point of order.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The
member had just about finished the introduction and was about to get to the
question . If she could move on, that would be great. Carry on, member.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms L. METTAM : — the
Child and Adolescent Health Service clinical staff association and the
Australian Nursing Federation have all publicly supported locating the
new women's and babies' hospital at the QEII precinct, not
Murdoch. In light of his comments that those who oppose the move to Murdoch are
opportunists who continue to peddle misinformation, can the Premier confirm
that he has such disregard and contempt for our most senior and respected
clinicians that he thinks they are opportunists peddling misinformation?
RELOCATION
625. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Dr
Tim Pavy, Dr Mary Sharp, Dr David Andrews, Dr Donald Payne, Dr Jane Valentine,
Debbie Chiffings, Carrie Dunbar, Lauren Bell, Nicky van Someren, the
Australian Medical Association —
Point of Order
Dr A.D. BUTI : I refer to
standing order 77, which refers to long preambles —
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members! Points of order will be
heard in silence, thank you.
Dr A.D. BUTI : — and
extensive citation from other sources. I ask you, Deputy Speaker, to rule on
this point of order.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The
member had just about finished the introduction and was about to get to the
question . If she could move on, that would be great. Carry on, member.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms L. METTAM : — the
Child and Adolescent Health Service clinical staff association and the
Australian Nursing Federation have all publicly supported locating the
new women's and babies' hospital at the QEII precinct, not
Murdoch. In light of his comments that those who oppose the move to Murdoch are
opportunists who continue to peddle misinformation, can the Premier confirm
that he has such disregard and contempt for our most senior and respected
clinicians that he thinks they are opportunists peddling misinformation?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for the question because it allows me to clarify who I was
calling opportunists. I was not calling those senior clinicians in Western
Australia opportunists and accusing them of peddling misinformation; I think I was
accusing you of that, member for Vasse. I will be absolutely crystal clear as
far as that is concerned. It is you who is peddling misinformation. It is you
who is distorting the facts and it is you who is bringing mistruths into this
place for the sake of your own political agenda.
Our agenda is about making sure
that we have a world-class women's and babies' hospital in Western
Australia as soon as possible to replace
King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, which is now more than 100 years old —let
us just let that sink in for a moment—in a medical system that has to
provide world-class health care. We all at one point in time had a vision of a women's
and babies' hospital being developed at QEII; as the member knows, that
was part of our original plan. But we had to make a decision with our heads,
not our hearts, and that decision was that if we are to develop this hospital
without significant interruption to the functioning of the hospitals on the
QEII site, if we are to have this hospital any time soon, and if we are to
provide world-class health care to people in
Western Australia and women delivering their babies within the next decade, we
need to develop this hospital at the
Murdoch site. The arguments have been canvassed for many months and, of course,
I commend the Minister for Health for articulating such an important
case on behalf of the people of Western Australia that we need to look at
developing the hospital at that site.
We are working with clinicians; we
are consulting widely with clinicians at all levels of the hospital to make
sure that we have in place the systems to ensure that any disadvantage from the
further location will be overcome. We have
to be wide-eyed here. We have to have our eyes open and make sure that we are
making decisions in the interests of the state. Of course, many
thousands of babies are born at Fiona Stanley Hospital each year so there will
be people who will benefit from having the women's and babies'
hospital at that site. It is also closer to Jandakot, so women who are
delivering babies in regional Western Australia who need an emergency transfer
will be closer to the health care they need.
Of course, we have made several announcements—indeed, we made one this
week—about the development
and upgrade of maternity services at Osborne Park Hospital, including a women's
and babies' unit and upgrades to the high-risk neonatal units at
Perth Children's Hospital and other developments of our maternity services right across Western Australia. This is
not just about the women's and babies' hospital being on that
location ; this is about making sure that women everywhere have access to
world-class health care.
I reiterate that we, too, once upon
a time, thought we should develop the hospital on the QEII site. That was part
of the Reid review, which has been held as an article of truth for many years.
But we have to face the facts and the facts are that if we develop this
hospital in any sort of timeframe that is absolutely necessary and in a way
that does not compromise patients, patient services, the ED and the operating
theatres at QEII, we have to develop the hospital at the Murdoch site, and that
is what we will do.
thank the member for the question because it allows me to clarify who I was
calling opportunists. I was not calling those senior clinicians in Western
Australia opportunists and accusing them of peddling misinformation; I think I was
accusing you of that, member for Vasse. I will be absolutely crystal clear as
far as that is concerned. It is you who is peddling misinformation. It is you
who is distorting the facts and it is you who is bringing mistruths into this
place for the sake of your own political agenda.
Our agenda is about making sure
that we have a world-class women's and babies' hospital in Western
Australia as soon as possible to replace
King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, which is now more than 100 years old —let
us just let that sink in for a moment—in a medical system that has to
provide world-class health care. We all at one point in time had a vision of a women's
and babies' hospital being developed at QEII; as the member knows, that
was part of our original plan. But we had to make a decision with our heads,
not our hearts, and that decision was that if we are to develop this hospital
without significant interruption to the functioning of the hospitals on the
QEII site, if we are to have this hospital any time soon, and if we are to
provide world-class health care to people in
Western Australia and women delivering their babies within the next decade, we
need to develop this hospital at the
Murdoch site. The arguments have been canvassed for many months and, of course,
I commend the Minister for Health for articulating such an important
case on behalf of the people of Western Australia that we need to look at
developing the hospital at that site.
We are working with clinicians; we
are consulting widely with clinicians at all levels of the hospital to make
sure that we have in place the systems to ensure that any disadvantage from the
further location will be overcome. We have
to be wide-eyed here. We have to have our eyes open and make sure that we are
making decisions in the interests of the state. Of course, many
thousands of babies are born at Fiona Stanley Hospital each year so there will
be people who will benefit from having the women's and babies'
hospital at that site. It is also closer to Jandakot, so women who are
delivering babies in regional Western Australia who need an emergency transfer
will be closer to the health care they need.
Of course, we have made several announcements—indeed, we made one this
week—about the development
and upgrade of maternity services at Osborne Park Hospital, including a women's
and babies' unit and upgrades to the high-risk neonatal units at
Perth Children's Hospital and other developments of our maternity services right across Western Australia. This is
not just about the women's and babies' hospital being on that
location ; this is about making sure that women everywhere have access to
world-class health care.
I reiterate that we, too, once upon
a time, thought we should develop the hospital on the QEII site. That was part
of the Reid review, which has been held as an article of truth for many years.
But we have to face the facts and the facts are that if we develop this
hospital in any sort of timeframe that is absolutely necessary and in a way
that does not compromise patients, patient services, the ED and the operating
theatres at QEII, we have to develop the hospital at the Murdoch site, and that
is what we will do.
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