House debates

Thursday, 23 March 2023

Statements by Members

Western Australia: Hospitals

1:30 pm

Photo of Andrew HastieAndrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | | Hansard source

The hospital system in Western Australia is in crisis. As the member for Canning, I have a duty to speak up for the people of my electorate, particularly when Labor's failure to manage the healthcare system is putting lives at risk. Today I rise for the seventh time in this place to call on the WA Premier, Mark McGowan, to do his job and fix our hospital system. First, I want to make clear that my concerns are not with our doctors, our nurses or our hospital staff. They do an incredible job, often in difficult circumstances. My concerns are with Labor's mismanagement, which is leading to bed shortages, ambulance ramping and unacceptable waiting times. Our health system is in a crisis after six years of Labor state government. I have been campaigning for years with the community for WA Labor to deliver upgrades to the Peel Health Campus, my region's primary hospital. Since speaking up, northern residents of Canning have shared their concerns about Armadale hospital. My constituents cannot wait any longer while Labor sits on its hands. It's time for the Premier, Mark McGowan, and the four state Labor MPs in the Peel region, who were elected to represent us, to fix our healthcare system. Our doctors and nurses are the best in the world, but they need resources and the system management to provide the best possible care to our community. Mark McGowan and WA Labor have let us down, and I won't stop speaking for my constituents until we see action.