❓ A parliamentary question raises concerns about the state of WA's public hospital infrastructure, specifically regarding equipment maintenance and potential hazards at Fiona Stanley and Royal Perth Hospitals. The Minister's response addresses procurement processes, maintenance statistics, and actions taken to address reported issues.
AnsweredQoN 473Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to Western Australia's public hospital infrastructure, which the Minister conceded is old and in need of repairs, and I ask: (a) is the Minister aware of medical equipment at Fiona Stanely Hospital held together by sticky tape; (b) if yes to (a), can the Minister confirm whistleblower testimony that it will take at least eight months to procure new equipment and six weeks to install; (c) how many maintenance work orders were issued for Royal Perth Hospital between January 2023 and June 2025; and (d) of those work orders in (c), how many specifically involved: (i) radioactive water leaks; (ii) burst water pipes; and (iii) black mould outbreaks?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 October 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health Infrastructure
Response time
8 days
(a – b)
Significant medical equipment requires forward planning for proper fit-out and commissioning. Health Service Providers must undertake the appropriate planning and business case work necessary for procurement. A business case for the upgrade of cardiac catheterisation laboratory equipment at Fiona Stanley Hospital is in progress.
(c)
42,637, including preventative maintenance.
(d) Work orders are raised by staff but often do not accurately reflect the cause of a maintenance issue. Maintenance requests are therefore not an accurate indicator of the actual issue.
(i) Zero leaks were required to be reported to the radiological council or were detected as radioactive.
(ii) Data on the cause of leaks is not captured in this way. Work orders to attend for purported “burst pipes” totalled 10. All work orders have been resolved.
(iii) Where any work order purportedly relates to mould, Royal Perth Hospital undertakes a rigorous cleaning and sanitisation regime. Work orders to attend for suspected ‘black mould’ totalled 13 – noting that some of these did not eventuate to have been mould. Nevertheless, all sites have been cleaned and rectified.
Significant medical equipment requires forward planning for proper fit-out and commissioning. Health Service Providers must undertake the appropriate planning and business case work necessary for procurement. A business case for the upgrade of cardiac catheterisation laboratory equipment at Fiona Stanley Hospital is in progress.
(c)
42,637, including preventative maintenance.
(d) Work orders are raised by staff but often do not accurately reflect the cause of a maintenance issue. Maintenance requests are therefore not an accurate indicator of the actual issue.
(i) Zero leaks were required to be reported to the radiological council or were detected as radioactive.
(ii) Data on the cause of leaks is not captured in this way. Work orders to attend for purported “burst pipes” totalled 10. All work orders have been resolved.
(iii) Where any work order purportedly relates to mould, Royal Perth Hospital undertakes a rigorous cleaning and sanitisation regime. Work orders to attend for suspected ‘black mould’ totalled 13 – noting that some of these did not eventuate to have been mould. Nevertheless, all sites have been cleaned and rectified.
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.