Nationals put pressure on wounded Margaret River Hospital in Parliament stoush

The Nationals WA have demanded answers from the State Government about why so little has been done to act on a business plan needed to expand the struggling Margaret River Hospital as campaigning ramps up for the March election.

In Parliament on August 15, Nationals MLC Martin Aldridge brandished a copy of the Times to ask about a November 2023 report detailing WA Country Health Service board chair Dr Neale Fong and his correspondence with local doctors.

“(The letter) to the Leeuwin medical advisory committee regarding the Margaret River Hospital redevelopment . . . stated that the business case submitted had not yet been successful in having funding allocated and approved by Treasury,” Mr Aldridge said.

He demanded the State Government detail the scope of works outlined in the business case, how much WACHS needed to fund the project and for the business case to be tabled in Parliament.

Instead, MLC Pierre Yang on behalf of Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson tabled the letter from Dr Fong which triggered November’s Times report, but cited commercial confidentiality to rebuff the other questions.

“The release of this information may impact future tender and procurement processes for the Margaret River Hospital and are considered Cabinet-in-confidence and commercial-in-confidence,” the parliamentary secretary said.

The lack of disclosure comes amid reports coming out of the Margaret River Hospital about staff workloads, and the Opposition has recently cited serious concerns about regional health care.

It has led to Warren-Blackwood Nationals candidate Bevan Eatts saying funding for the campus was “a top priority”.

While the Times understands the Liberal Party was also homing in on the hospital issue as a top chance to take down Labor’s Jane Kelsbie next year, Mr Eatts was first off the mark with a pledge to fund the campus project.

Trumping his Liberal opponent Wade de Campo, the same as he did with a $45 million pledge to expand Margaret River Senior High School earlier this month, Mr Eatts said the hospital project needed urgent action.

Mr Eatts pointed to a longstanding campaign dating back to when Mia Davies was leading the party, supported by Liberal Vasse MLA Libby Mettam, demanding action.

“The Nationals WA have repeatedly called out the Cook Labor Government’s neglect in committing to the much-needed redevelopment,” Mr Eatts said.

“It’s unacceptable that the minister for health has been sitting on a business case for nearly a year — since September 2023 — without taking any action to secure funding for this critical project.

“A government that truly cares about regional health care wouldn’t delay or withhold vital information about the future of such an essential service.

“The residents of Margaret River, along with the thousands of tourists who visit each year, deserve a hospital that meets their needs.”

A spokesperson for the health minister said the answers provided in Parliament were the only comment the State could offer.

No time line was provided on when or if the campus project would be funded.