❓ Question regarding Premier's responsibility for potential adverse outcomes related to the relocation of the Women's and Babies' Hospital, met with strong opposition and debate about alternative plans and delays.
AnsweredQoN 788Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND BABIES' HOSPITAL —
RELOCATION
788. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Given the advice from the
outstanding clinicians at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, will the
Premier accept responsibility for the death and disability of any woman or baby
—
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please! Please
sit, member for Vasse. We have a point of order, I assume, from the member for Burns Beach.
Point of Order
Mr M.J. FOLKARD : Thank you.
Madam Speaker, under section 77(1)(a) of the standing orders, preambles are not
to be part of questions. Clearly that was a preamble. Your thoughts?
Mr R.H. Cook : I think he
meant to say, ''Your ruling?''.
The SPEAKER : Yes. The
supplementary to this point in time is not out of order. I am not ruling it out
of order; I would like to hear it. We have already had a very lengthy answer on
this topic. The question is a bit gratuitous but we have had lots of gratuitous
questions in this place before, so I am allowing it to go ahead. Ask your
question, member for Vasse.
Questions without Notice
Resumed
Ms L. METTAM : I have asked
the question —
The SPEAKER : I could not hear
it in full.
Ms
L. METTAM : Okay. Given the
clinical advice from the outstanding clinicians at King Edward Memorial
Hospital, will the Premier accept responsibility for the death or
disability of any woman or baby because of his refusal —
Dr J. Krishnan interjected.
Ms L. METTAM : — to
listen to that expert advice.
I seek leave to table the letter
that the minister is clearly ignoring.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, attention please! Firstly,
member, you cannot table anything. You might seek leave to lay something on the table for the rest of the day's sitting
but that is about all you can seek leave for. If you would like to do
that, I give you the opportunity to do it now.
Ms L. METTAM : I seek leave to
table this letter for the remainder of the day's sitting.
[The paper was tabled for the
information of members.]
The SPEAKER : Secondly, member
for Riverton, you may feel passionately about this and I can understand why.
Like a lot of other people, you may not like the question that is being asked,
but the questioner has the right to ask the question, however unpalatable you
may find it.
RELOCATION
788. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
Given the advice from the
outstanding clinicians at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, will the
Premier accept responsibility for the death and disability of any woman or baby
—
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please! Please
sit, member for Vasse. We have a point of order, I assume, from the member for Burns Beach.
Point of Order
Mr M.J. FOLKARD : Thank you.
Madam Speaker, under section 77(1)(a) of the standing orders, preambles are not
to be part of questions. Clearly that was a preamble. Your thoughts?
Mr R.H. Cook : I think he
meant to say, ''Your ruling?''.
The SPEAKER : Yes. The
supplementary to this point in time is not out of order. I am not ruling it out
of order; I would like to hear it. We have already had a very lengthy answer on
this topic. The question is a bit gratuitous but we have had lots of gratuitous
questions in this place before, so I am allowing it to go ahead. Ask your
question, member for Vasse.
Questions without Notice
Resumed
Ms L. METTAM : I have asked
the question —
The SPEAKER : I could not hear
it in full.
Ms
L. METTAM : Okay. Given the
clinical advice from the outstanding clinicians at King Edward Memorial
Hospital, will the Premier accept responsibility for the death or
disability of any woman or baby because of his refusal —
Dr J. Krishnan interjected.
Ms L. METTAM : — to
listen to that expert advice.
I seek leave to table the letter
that the minister is clearly ignoring.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, attention please! Firstly,
member, you cannot table anything. You might seek leave to lay something on the table for the rest of the day's sitting
but that is about all you can seek leave for. If you would like to do
that, I give you the opportunity to do it now.
Ms L. METTAM : I seek leave to
table this letter for the remainder of the day's sitting.
[The paper was tabled for the
information of members.]
The SPEAKER : Secondly, member
for Riverton, you may feel passionately about this and I can understand why.
Like a lot of other people, you may not like the question that is being asked,
but the questioner has the right to ask the question, however unpalatable you
may find it.
AnswerView source ↗
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think
the member for Riverton is perhaps expressing his anger on behalf of the expert clinicians at Fiona Stanley Hospital, for
whose views the member for Vasse clearly has disregard and disdain . I think
all clinicians, right across our system, do an amazing job. That is why we are
listening to them very carefully on these deeply complex issues.
As
to the second part of the member's question, I think it is perhaps one
of the most distasteful question that has ever been brought to this
place. Members of the public watch us on a daily basis and they form a view
about the conduct of members of Parliament, and that informs their view about politicians
generally. That, member for Vasse, did not make a contribution to the dignity
of this particular chamber. I ask the member: would she accept responsibility for those patients who potentially
would be disrupted and have adverse health outcomes because of the disruption caused by the development of a women's and babies'
hospital on top of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital?
The SPEAKER : We will take
that as a rhetorical question and we will not anticipate an answer, thank you.
Mr R.H. COOK : Would the member
for Vasse take responsibility for the adverse clinical outcomes that would
occur from her policy to cancel the redevelopment of the women's and
babies' hospital and not see it redeveloped for another 10 to 20 years?
Ms L. Mettam : We are
committed to a world-class facility. Your plan will never be a world-class
facility.
Several members interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : The policy of those
opposite is to cancel the women's and babies' hospital and not
see it developed by, dare I say, any members of Parliament who are in
the chamber today. The delay would be between a decade and two decades.
Mr W.J. Johnston : The member
for Rockingham would still be here!
Mr R.H. COOK : Member for
Rockingham, you might still be here!
That is what we are facing here.
That is what Infrastructure WA told us in the independent advice the opposition
asked for—that it would see the hospital delayed for between 10 and 20
years.
Dr D.J. Honey : That is
rubbish.
Mr R.H. COOK : I take the
interjection from the member for Cottesloe —
The SPEAKER : Please don't.
Mr
R.H. COOK : — because this
is what we see from those opposite all the time. They call for independent
oversight , they call for a review and they call for a report. When the
report from the experts comes out in a way that they do not like, they call it,
in the words of the member for Vasse, political trickery. It is this selective
passion for truth—this selective idea of truth on the other side. The
only thing they care about is a political line. However, in this case the
political line the member for Vasse has run out would cause adverse clinical
outcomes for patients for between one and two decades. The opposition would
take credit for that.
the member for Riverton is perhaps expressing his anger on behalf of the expert clinicians at Fiona Stanley Hospital, for
whose views the member for Vasse clearly has disregard and disdain . I think
all clinicians, right across our system, do an amazing job. That is why we are
listening to them very carefully on these deeply complex issues.
As
to the second part of the member's question, I think it is perhaps one
of the most distasteful question that has ever been brought to this
place. Members of the public watch us on a daily basis and they form a view
about the conduct of members of Parliament, and that informs their view about politicians
generally. That, member for Vasse, did not make a contribution to the dignity
of this particular chamber. I ask the member: would she accept responsibility for those patients who potentially
would be disrupted and have adverse health outcomes because of the disruption caused by the development of a women's and babies'
hospital on top of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital?
The SPEAKER : We will take
that as a rhetorical question and we will not anticipate an answer, thank you.
Mr R.H. COOK : Would the member
for Vasse take responsibility for the adverse clinical outcomes that would
occur from her policy to cancel the redevelopment of the women's and
babies' hospital and not see it redeveloped for another 10 to 20 years?
Ms L. Mettam : We are
committed to a world-class facility. Your plan will never be a world-class
facility.
Several members interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : The policy of those
opposite is to cancel the women's and babies' hospital and not
see it developed by, dare I say, any members of Parliament who are in
the chamber today. The delay would be between a decade and two decades.
Mr W.J. Johnston : The member
for Rockingham would still be here!
Mr R.H. COOK : Member for
Rockingham, you might still be here!
That is what we are facing here.
That is what Infrastructure WA told us in the independent advice the opposition
asked for—that it would see the hospital delayed for between 10 and 20
years.
Dr D.J. Honey : That is
rubbish.
Mr R.H. COOK : I take the
interjection from the member for Cottesloe —
The SPEAKER : Please don't.
Mr
R.H. COOK : — because this
is what we see from those opposite all the time. They call for independent
oversight , they call for a review and they call for a report. When the
report from the experts comes out in a way that they do not like, they call it,
in the words of the member for Vasse, political trickery. It is this selective
passion for truth—this selective idea of truth on the other side. The
only thing they care about is a political line. However, in this case the
political line the member for Vasse has run out would cause adverse clinical
outcomes for patients for between one and two decades. The opposition would
take credit for that.
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