❓ Mr. Ainsworth questions the Health Minister's refusal to guarantee the Swan District Hospital's operation, given a recent bailout to Perth hospitals, and challenges how this aligns with the government's stance on equitable services for rural communities. The Minister deflects, stating the issue is not funding but staffing.
AnsweredQoN 266Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Given that the minister provided a $20 million bailout to major Perth hospitals in June of this year - (1) Why will he not guarantee to keep the Swan District Hospital open to fully meet the health needs of the many country people who rely on the hospital? (2) How does the minister’s decision fit with the Government’s one vote, one value argument that country people need more services, not political representation? Mr KUCERA
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(1) Why will he not guarantee to keep the Swan District Hospital open to fully meet the health needs of the many country people who rely on the hospital? (2) How does the minister’s decision fit with the Government’s one vote, one value argument that country people need more services, not political representation? Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(2) How does the minister’s decision fit with the Government’s one vote, one value argument that country people need more services, not political representation? Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(1) Why will he not guarantee to keep the Swan District Hospital open to fully meet the health needs of the many country people who rely on the hospital? (2) How does the minister’s decision fit with the Government’s one vote, one value argument that country people need more services, not political representation? Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(2) How does the minister’s decision fit with the Government’s one vote, one value argument that country people need more services, not political representation? Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
Mr KUCERA replied: (1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
(1)-(2) Obviously the member for Roe did not listen to any of my answers. This is not about funding. This is about the availability of general practitioners, specialists and consultants - all of the issues that the doctors insisted that the Government back off from in hospitals. At times it is difficult to hear in this Chamber, but the member for Roe should listen to what I am saying. This is not about funding. At the moment we are negotiating with different organisations within the health services sector to get health professionals into regional areas. However, when the member reads in Hansard the statement I just made, and if he listens to what I am saying, this is not about funding and bailouts; it is about the way in which we can organise, structure and reform health services.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.