Health portfolio
Brief ministerial statement
Ms Meredith Hammat (Girrawheen—Minister for Health) (12:11 pm): I rise today to outline our government's plan for a new era in health with our team approach to this critical portfolio. We know that Western Australia has the strongest economy in the nation, which means that more people from interstate and overseas want to work and live here. Our population growth has been so strong that it is as if the entire population of the Northern Territory moved to WA in the last few years alone. That growth, coupled with an ageing population that brings more complex medical matters, means there is no doubt that we need to manage this increased demand throughout our hospitals. Our team approach is the best way to do that.
As Minister for Health and the lead minister, I will drive our health system to deliver affordable and accessible health care to all Western Australians. I will also chair the cabinet health coordination committee, which will oversee our team approach and drive collaboration between ministers to get the best outcomes for our community. The Minister for Health Infrastructure will build our hospitals to increase capacity and bring more beds into the system. The Minister for Aged Care and Seniors will lead efforts to improve access to aged-care beds and support the timely discharge of our largest cohort of patients. The Minister for Preventative Health will drive long-term initiatives to keep people well and out of hospital, and the Minister for Medical Research will lead our research and innovation efforts.
Taking a team approach to health demonstrates how important this portfolio is to the Cook Labor government. Because we know we have work to do, we have a big agenda. We are strengthening our health system by investing in hospitals, increasing our health workforce and building the new women's and babies' hospital. We are spearheading nation-leading reforms to tackle ambulance ramping. Cutting-edge initiatives like the State Health Operations Centre and the WA virtual emergency department will support patients coming into our hospitals. We are also delivering more options to safely transition patients who are stuck in hospital beds. We have already added more than 800 beds to our health system in the past three years—that is the equivalent of a new Fiona Stanley Hospital. We are investing more than $4.3 billion in capital expenditure over the next four years, with another hospital-worth of beds in the pipeline.
There is a lot more to do and we do not shy away from the big task ahead. The Premier has been clear: it is time for a new era in health, and that is exactly what we will deliver, because we will always do what is right for WA.
