❓ Question on maternity services in WA, focusing on the new women's and babies' hospital and its benefits for regional women. The Minister defends the government's plan and criticizes the opposition's alternative proposal.
AnsweredQoN 850Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND
BABIES' HOSPITAL — MATERNITY SERVICES
850. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment in new maternity care services, including the new women's
and babies' hospital.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house of this government's comprehensive plan for
maternity services in WA, including how this plan benefits regional women?
(2) Can the
minister inform the house whether she is aware of any alternative proposals to
provide high quality maternity care in WA?
BABIES' HOSPITAL — MATERNITY SERVICES
850. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment in new maternity care services, including the new women's
and babies' hospital.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house of this government's comprehensive plan for
maternity services in WA, including how this plan benefits regional women?
(2) Can the
minister inform the house whether she is aware of any alternative proposals to
provide high quality maternity care in WA?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Kimberley for her question. The member is acutely aware of
the challenges that providing health care across the largest jurisdiction in
the world involves and the networks, partnerships, innovations and resilience
that is required to deliver that health care. We deliver that health care with
our partners—the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Newborn Emergency
Transport Service. NETS is a world-leading high quality service that transfers
really vulnerable newborn babies when they need access to medical care.
As we
have heard today in particular, and certainly over many months, the Leader of
the Liberal Party has taken the position that she would continue to
build the women's and babies' hospital on the Queen Elizabeth II
Medical Centre site, despite the overwhelming evidence that it would present
unmitigated risks to the rest of the system. We still have many questions about
the Liberal Party's plan to build the hospital at that location that
need to be answered. Which of the outpatient clinics will the Leader of the
Liberal Party close down in G block? Where will she relocate them? Which of the
elective surgeries will she cancel? How will patients and visitors actually
access the sites, particularly when they are accessing the emergency
departments? If people have a sick child or toddler in their car and they do
not want to call an ambulance, they drive to Perth Children's Hospital.
It is already a congested site. It is a serious risk. It was not the government
that said that; it was the independent experts who wrote the business case.
Infrastructure WA outlined the unmitigated risks of accessing the system.
Is
the Leader of the Liberal Party going to commit to our plans to expand services
at Osborne Park Hospital , a new
birthing centre and a 2 000-bay car park at Fiona Stanley Hospital or is she
going to scrap it? Is that the plan? We still do not know. We have no
clarity about the Liberal Party's plan. The government wanted to build
the hospital there but the overwhelming evidence steered us in another
direction. Of course we are disappointed with that. That evidence was a business
case, which was tabled in this place and is transparently
available to the community. It was a report from Infrastructure WA, which also
said, ''You cannot do this
within the next 10 years; it will take 20 years to build this hospital.''
That would mean King Edward Memorial Hospital would stay open for
another 20 years. It has not got 20 years. Women deserve a new hospital now and
the people who work there deserve a new hospital now. The Leader of the Liberal
Party has heard evidence from leading neonatologists that challenge those
claims of death and disability. She has
heard directly from the director general; she received a private briefing from
the d irector general. She heard from the director general during
estimates about the unmitigated risks, and still she refuses to accept that
expert evidence.
We have another set of experts who
are supporting our plan. They are delivering care in remote places. That is the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It has
written to me to support our plan to build the women's and babies' hospital at Murdoch because it will be better for regional
patients. I will quote a letter from the chief executive of the RFDS, Judith
Barker. She states —
I write in support of your decision
to locate the new Women and Babies Hospital in the Fiona Stanley Hospital � precinct.
The close proximity of the FSH precinct to the � [RFDS) base at Jandakot � will
ensure timely care for many of our most urgent patients from regional Western Australia.
In 2023, this included 216 newborn babies (<28 days) and 469 women with
complications of pregnancy who required RFDS transfer to Perth.
The RFDS is the expert in regional
and remote health care. Furthermore, the letter goes on to say —
The
Newborn Emergency Transport Service (NETS WA) retrievals by RFDS helicopters
are due to commence in late 2024 following the introduction of a new system
developed and tested by RFDS and NETS WA. This will mean RFDS helicopters can
safely carry neonatal patients directly to the new hospital, minimising time to
critical care and impacting positively on patient outcomes.
The organisation that supports rural
communities when they need access to health care supports this decision. We
still need to hear from the National Party about its position. That party
purports to support regional women. We have
seen the evidence. I urge you to examine the evidence before you. The Leader of the Liberal Party is in a very difficult
position; she will have to either break her promise or break a contract. That takes leadership. It takes leadership to
make a clear-eyed, carefully deliberated decision on the facts in front
of you that addresses the risks and benefits across the whole system. Rather
than listening to one group of people, in government you have to listen to
everyone. You have to show leadership. Sometimes you have to make difficult
decisions. That sometimes means making people unhappy, but your job in
government is not to make everyone happy; your job is to do the right thing for
everyone in the community, and that is what this decision is.
thank the member for Kimberley for her question. The member is acutely aware of
the challenges that providing health care across the largest jurisdiction in
the world involves and the networks, partnerships, innovations and resilience
that is required to deliver that health care. We deliver that health care with
our partners—the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Newborn Emergency
Transport Service. NETS is a world-leading high quality service that transfers
really vulnerable newborn babies when they need access to medical care.
As we
have heard today in particular, and certainly over many months, the Leader of
the Liberal Party has taken the position that she would continue to
build the women's and babies' hospital on the Queen Elizabeth II
Medical Centre site, despite the overwhelming evidence that it would present
unmitigated risks to the rest of the system. We still have many questions about
the Liberal Party's plan to build the hospital at that location that
need to be answered. Which of the outpatient clinics will the Leader of the
Liberal Party close down in G block? Where will she relocate them? Which of the
elective surgeries will she cancel? How will patients and visitors actually
access the sites, particularly when they are accessing the emergency
departments? If people have a sick child or toddler in their car and they do
not want to call an ambulance, they drive to Perth Children's Hospital.
It is already a congested site. It is a serious risk. It was not the government
that said that; it was the independent experts who wrote the business case.
Infrastructure WA outlined the unmitigated risks of accessing the system.
Is
the Leader of the Liberal Party going to commit to our plans to expand services
at Osborne Park Hospital , a new
birthing centre and a 2 000-bay car park at Fiona Stanley Hospital or is she
going to scrap it? Is that the plan? We still do not know. We have no
clarity about the Liberal Party's plan. The government wanted to build
the hospital there but the overwhelming evidence steered us in another
direction. Of course we are disappointed with that. That evidence was a business
case, which was tabled in this place and is transparently
available to the community. It was a report from Infrastructure WA, which also
said, ''You cannot do this
within the next 10 years; it will take 20 years to build this hospital.''
That would mean King Edward Memorial Hospital would stay open for
another 20 years. It has not got 20 years. Women deserve a new hospital now and
the people who work there deserve a new hospital now. The Leader of the Liberal
Party has heard evidence from leading neonatologists that challenge those
claims of death and disability. She has
heard directly from the director general; she received a private briefing from
the d irector general. She heard from the director general during
estimates about the unmitigated risks, and still she refuses to accept that
expert evidence.
We have another set of experts who
are supporting our plan. They are delivering care in remote places. That is the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It has
written to me to support our plan to build the women's and babies' hospital at Murdoch because it will be better for regional
patients. I will quote a letter from the chief executive of the RFDS, Judith
Barker. She states —
I write in support of your decision
to locate the new Women and Babies Hospital in the Fiona Stanley Hospital � precinct.
The close proximity of the FSH precinct to the � [RFDS) base at Jandakot � will
ensure timely care for many of our most urgent patients from regional Western Australia.
In 2023, this included 216 newborn babies (<28 days) and 469 women with
complications of pregnancy who required RFDS transfer to Perth.
The RFDS is the expert in regional
and remote health care. Furthermore, the letter goes on to say —
The
Newborn Emergency Transport Service (NETS WA) retrievals by RFDS helicopters
are due to commence in late 2024 following the introduction of a new system
developed and tested by RFDS and NETS WA. This will mean RFDS helicopters can
safely carry neonatal patients directly to the new hospital, minimising time to
critical care and impacting positively on patient outcomes.
The organisation that supports rural
communities when they need access to health care supports this decision. We
still need to hear from the National Party about its position. That party
purports to support regional women. We have
seen the evidence. I urge you to examine the evidence before you. The Leader of the Liberal Party is in a very difficult
position; she will have to either break her promise or break a contract. That takes leadership. It takes leadership to
make a clear-eyed, carefully deliberated decision on the facts in front
of you that addresses the risks and benefits across the whole system. Rather
than listening to one group of people, in government you have to listen to
everyone. You have to show leadership. Sometimes you have to make difficult
decisions. That sometimes means making people unhappy, but your job in
government is not to make everyone happy; your job is to do the right thing for
everyone in the community, and that is what this decision is.
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.