❓ Question regarding lead and legionella levels in CAHS facilities since January 2023. The government acknowledges testing protocols but declines to provide a detailed list of results due to resource constraints.
AnsweredQoN 775Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to every medical, specialised health, medical research and education facility in the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS), and I ask: (a) Have any samples tested in any of the individual sites in the CAHS returned lead or legionella levels above the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines since January 2023: (i) If yes, please list every occurrence at each site specifying: (A) site name and location of occurrence; (B) date of sampling and levels detected; (C) remedial action taken and date of action; and (D) if patients, staff or tenants were notified and on what date; (b) Were any sites excluded from testing and if so, why; and (c) Has any service or location been partially or fully decommissioned due to elevated lead or legionella results since 1 January 2023: (i) If yes, please provide site, dates and duration?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
21 October 2025
Responded by
Minister for Health; Mental Health
Response time
5 days
The Department and health service providers have confirmed that our public hospitals have rigorous water testing and remediation programs in place which test for both legionella and lead. These practices ensure that public health standards are upheld and that any risks associated are swiftly identified and mitigated. WA Health testing regimes are consistent with national standards and frameworks and are designed to trigger investigation and remediation before any contaminant reaches levels that pose a risk to public health.
A senior WA health infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, provided advice to the public in September on legionella - confirming that Legionella is not contracted by drinking water - it is acquired through the inhalation or aspiration of contaminated aerosols. And that if a microbial exceedance is detected at a location within a hospital, it is best practice to isolate the asset and begin remediation immediately, and that is the approach WA Health takes. Legionnaire’s disease is a notifiable disease in Western Australia and any case must be reported to the Chief Health Officer.
With regards to lead, the Government continues to take advice of experts like our Chief Health Office. We have put in place a new procedure to ensure that results regarding lead are regularly reported to the Chief Health Officer and that, when there are concerns, they are escalated to the Minister.
The member has asked that each health service provider provide detailed lists of test results for each occurrence of legionella or lead at each site, when and where and what actions have been taken since the beginning of 2023. There are more than 80 public hospitals in Western Australia and water testing is a frequent and routine operational requirement undertaken at HSP level. Requiring public servants to manually collate and pull together a line by line list of results over almost 3 years is a significant resource intensive exercise, requiring the diversion of WA Health staff away from their core duties which is providing care to the people of Western Australia. For this reason, the information is not provided.
A senior WA health infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, provided advice to the public in September on legionella - confirming that Legionella is not contracted by drinking water - it is acquired through the inhalation or aspiration of contaminated aerosols. And that if a microbial exceedance is detected at a location within a hospital, it is best practice to isolate the asset and begin remediation immediately, and that is the approach WA Health takes. Legionnaire’s disease is a notifiable disease in Western Australia and any case must be reported to the Chief Health Officer.
With regards to lead, the Government continues to take advice of experts like our Chief Health Office. We have put in place a new procedure to ensure that results regarding lead are regularly reported to the Chief Health Officer and that, when there are concerns, they are escalated to the Minister.
The member has asked that each health service provider provide detailed lists of test results for each occurrence of legionella or lead at each site, when and where and what actions have been taken since the beginning of 2023. There are more than 80 public hospitals in Western Australia and water testing is a frequent and routine operational requirement undertaken at HSP level. Requiring public servants to manually collate and pull together a line by line list of results over almost 3 years is a significant resource intensive exercise, requiring the diversion of WA Health staff away from their core duties which is providing care to the people of Western Australia. For this reason, the information is not provided.
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