❓ Mrs O'Malley asks the Premier about the government's health investment and progress on infrastructure. The Premier responds by outlining the government's commitment to health, highlighting investments in staff, beds, facilities, and initiatives to improve healthcare delivery.
AnsweredQoN 304Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Health—Infrastructure investment
304. Mrs Lisa O'Malley to
the Premier:
I refer the Premier
to the Cook Labor government's record investment in Western Australia's health
system.
(1) Can the Premier outline to the house how this
ongoing investment is making Western Australia the healthiest state in the
nation?
(2) Can the Premier update the house on what
progress has been made in delivering the government's health infrastructure
program?
304. Mrs Lisa O'Malley to
the Premier:
I refer the Premier
to the Cook Labor government's record investment in Western Australia's health
system.
(1) Can the Premier outline to the house how this
ongoing investment is making Western Australia the healthiest state in the
nation?
(2) Can the Premier update the house on what
progress has been made in delivering the government's health infrastructure
program?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. As I have said time and again, my government's focus is to keep the
economy strong, to make sure we are creating great WA jobs, to focus on health
and to increase housing, and we are doing just that. Meeting the health needs
of a growing and ageing WA population is one of my government's key priorities.
We can all acknowledge that the health system is complex, as it is in every
jurisdiction around the world. Just like other places, WA has an incredible
workforce of doctors, nurses and staff who are often under pressure. We have
waitlists that we want to see get shorter and we have an ever-increasing number
of emergency department presentations.
The work of improving the health
system is never done. That is why, under my government, WA has a clear plan for
a stronger and more resilient system. It is a plan that encompasses more staff,
more beds, more care in the community and more new or redeveloped hospitals and
health facilities. Our health system is one of the best funded in the country. On
top of our recent recurrent funding, we are delivering a $3.2 billion health
infrastructure program. Across the state, 11 major hospitals or health facility
projects are underway—from the new women's and babies' hospital to the Geraldton
Health Campus redevelopment to the Bunbury Regional Hospital redevelopment. The
Bunbury hospital rebuild will be the biggest regional hospital project ever
undertaken in Western Australia. That builds on the more than 900 beds that we
have added since 2021. As our population increases and more beds are added, we
also need more staff. Since 2021, our population has increased by 13% and, over
the same time, we have grown the health workforce by 30%. That is more than 4,400
additional nurses and more than 1,800 additional doctors. This has been the
result of initiatives like our free TAFE and international recruitment
campaigns.
There has been a massive effort
to strengthen our health system. Yes, there is always more work to be done, and,
yes, we are making progress. A record number of elective surgeries is being
undertaken. We have the fastest ambulance response times in the country. We
lead the country in fast emergency department care—otherwise known as
the four-hour rule. We are the best in the country. We have built the State
Health Operations Centre, which is now up and running. We have introduced the
WA Virtual Emergency Department. We are training up pharmacists to treat a
range of conditions, taking pressure off GPs, and
we are working with the Commonwealth government to deliver more urgent care
clinics right across WA. We are urging the federal government to step up so
we can get more aged-care beds to get those patients out of hospitals and into
a proper care environment.
No-one is claiming that the job
is done; that job is never done. The work of creating a stronger, more
resilient health system will not happen overnight. Even with the best plan in
place progress is not always linear. But we do know this: there is a clear
plan, there is the funding and there are more resources than ever going into
the mission to make WA the healthiest state in the nation because we have a WA
Labor government.
question. As I have said time and again, my government's focus is to keep the
economy strong, to make sure we are creating great WA jobs, to focus on health
and to increase housing, and we are doing just that. Meeting the health needs
of a growing and ageing WA population is one of my government's key priorities.
We can all acknowledge that the health system is complex, as it is in every
jurisdiction around the world. Just like other places, WA has an incredible
workforce of doctors, nurses and staff who are often under pressure. We have
waitlists that we want to see get shorter and we have an ever-increasing number
of emergency department presentations.
The work of improving the health
system is never done. That is why, under my government, WA has a clear plan for
a stronger and more resilient system. It is a plan that encompasses more staff,
more beds, more care in the community and more new or redeveloped hospitals and
health facilities. Our health system is one of the best funded in the country. On
top of our recent recurrent funding, we are delivering a $3.2 billion health
infrastructure program. Across the state, 11 major hospitals or health facility
projects are underway—from the new women's and babies' hospital to the Geraldton
Health Campus redevelopment to the Bunbury Regional Hospital redevelopment. The
Bunbury hospital rebuild will be the biggest regional hospital project ever
undertaken in Western Australia. That builds on the more than 900 beds that we
have added since 2021. As our population increases and more beds are added, we
also need more staff. Since 2021, our population has increased by 13% and, over
the same time, we have grown the health workforce by 30%. That is more than 4,400
additional nurses and more than 1,800 additional doctors. This has been the
result of initiatives like our free TAFE and international recruitment
campaigns.
There has been a massive effort
to strengthen our health system. Yes, there is always more work to be done, and,
yes, we are making progress. A record number of elective surgeries is being
undertaken. We have the fastest ambulance response times in the country. We
lead the country in fast emergency department care—otherwise known as
the four-hour rule. We are the best in the country. We have built the State
Health Operations Centre, which is now up and running. We have introduced the
WA Virtual Emergency Department. We are training up pharmacists to treat a
range of conditions, taking pressure off GPs, and
we are working with the Commonwealth government to deliver more urgent care
clinics right across WA. We are urging the federal government to step up so
we can get more aged-care beds to get those patients out of hospitals and into
a proper care environment.
No-one is claiming that the job
is done; that job is never done. The work of creating a stronger, more
resilient health system will not happen overnight. Even with the best plan in
place progress is not always linear. But we do know this: there is a clear
plan, there is the funding and there are more resources than ever going into
the mission to make WA the healthiest state in the nation because we have a WA
Labor government.
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