❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Premier about the relocation of the Women's and Babies' Hospital, alleging potential harm to newborns and criticising the Premier's responsiveness to expert health advice. The Premier strongly defends the government's decision and accuses the opposition of setting a negative tone.
AnsweredQoN 626Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND BABIES' HOSPITAL —
RELOCATION
626. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
How many experts and clinicians need to speak out before the Premier will
bother to listen to the health advice to avoid the unnecessary deaths of
newborns?
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
RELOCATION
626. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
How many experts and clinicians need to speak out before the Premier will
bother to listen to the health advice to avoid the unnecessary deaths of
newborns?
Several members interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Members!
AnswerView source ↗
I
am absolutely appalled by the tone that the opposition has brought into this
chamber; I am absolutely flabbergasted that
it would seek to characterise this debate in this way. It does you no service,
member for Vasse. We all know that governments set the agenda, but
oppositions set the tone, and the tone that the opposition has set today has
taken this place to a new low, and it does that courtesy of the member for
Vasse, the Leader of the Liberal Party. I think it says more about members
opposite than it does about the men and women of the Department of Health, the
senior clinicians, who have been working tirelessly with clinicians to make
sure that we come up with a situation that is for the benefit of all Western Australians.
I fully respect the perspectives, work and dedication of senior clinicians
everywhere, but we have to listen to the advice—the medical advice, the
engineering advice, Treasury advice and the
sheer immovable logic of the construction advice, which is that if we are going
to develop this hospital any time
over the next 10 to 15 years, we have to do it at the Murdoch site. That way,
we will not compromise health services at the QEII site, and we will not
interrupt the incredible work that goes on Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and
Perth Children's Hospital by elongated, protracted, difficult and
complex construction on the existing site.
I think the Department of Health and the Minister for Health
are doing a great job making sure that we get this right. Thank goodness it is
WA Labor in government and not the incompetence, negativity, disfunction and
chaos we see on the other side of this chamber.
Visitors — Eden Hill Primary School
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Before I give
the call to the member for Belmont, on behalf of the member for Bassendean, I acknowledge
and welcome the Eden Hill Primary School P&C to the gallery today. Thank
you, and welcome to Parliament.
am absolutely appalled by the tone that the opposition has brought into this
chamber; I am absolutely flabbergasted that
it would seek to characterise this debate in this way. It does you no service,
member for Vasse. We all know that governments set the agenda, but
oppositions set the tone, and the tone that the opposition has set today has
taken this place to a new low, and it does that courtesy of the member for
Vasse, the Leader of the Liberal Party. I think it says more about members
opposite than it does about the men and women of the Department of Health, the
senior clinicians, who have been working tirelessly with clinicians to make
sure that we come up with a situation that is for the benefit of all Western Australians.
I fully respect the perspectives, work and dedication of senior clinicians
everywhere, but we have to listen to the advice—the medical advice, the
engineering advice, Treasury advice and the
sheer immovable logic of the construction advice, which is that if we are going
to develop this hospital any time
over the next 10 to 15 years, we have to do it at the Murdoch site. That way,
we will not compromise health services at the QEII site, and we will not
interrupt the incredible work that goes on Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and
Perth Children's Hospital by elongated, protracted, difficult and
complex construction on the existing site.
I think the Department of Health and the Minister for Health
are doing a great job making sure that we get this right. Thank goodness it is
WA Labor in government and not the incompetence, negativity, disfunction and
chaos we see on the other side of this chamber.
Visitors — Eden Hill Primary School
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Before I give
the call to the member for Belmont, on behalf of the member for Bassendean, I acknowledge
and welcome the Eden Hill Primary School P&C to the gallery today. Thank
you, and welcome to Parliament.
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