Women's, Child and Youth Health Plan

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the house on planning for women's and children's health services?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:35): I thank the member for King for this very important question and recognise her absolute passion for serving her community in the north and north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide. I have interactions with her on a regular basis in relation to education, where she is a fierce advocate for her local schools, families and children. I have absolutely no doubt that she makes similar representations to the Minister for Health on a very regular basis. He hears from her very regularly because her community has her attention, and we are very much appreciative of that.

The member asks a question in relation to women's and children's health services in particular, and members of her community will appreciate some of the information I am pleased to share. The South Australian Women's, Child and Youth Health Plan 2021-2031 summary framework is now available for consultation for all people of South Australia, including those in the member for King's electorate. The development of this plan is an important element of the health and wellbeing strategy for South Australia 2020-2025.

The Women's, Child and Youth Health Plan, the 2021-2031 plan, strives to transform the system and identify the key health service directions needed to align SA health and wellbeing services across the state with the needs of the community over the next 10 years. The plan prioritises improving health equity and access for women, children and young people across South Australia; empowering women, children and young people to maximise their health and wellbeing; and enabling the health workforce to work holistically with women, children and young people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

As our population demographics change, it is essential that our services adapt alongside these changes to best meet the needs of our community, and the Marshall Liberal government wants to support people to receive their health care closer to home. The plan's data indicates that Adelaide's northern suburbs, Gawler and Mount Barker will see the biggest rate of population growth over the coming decade, and this will need to be factored into our planning for the future.

In the next decade, the population of South Australia is projected to increase, from 1.76 million people to 1.92 million people, with an increase of 73,000 women and 13,000 children, the highest growth being in the northern Adelaide metropolitan and peri-urban regions. These communities are serviced by the Northern Adelaide and the Barossa Hills Fleurieu local health networks, so it is important that we resource those networks to provide health care close to home for those people.

In line with the information the data provides us, we will be expanding the capacity of our major northern health service, the Lyell McEwin Hospital, to provide additional maternal, birthing, infant, child, youth and women's services to Adelaide's north. This is an important part of ensuring that South Australians have access to better services closer to home.

The Women's and Children's Hospital will remain the centre for more complex or higher acuity services, but the everyday clinical support that women and children need should be able to be provided to people in the north closer to their homes. This is particularly important for families who are from lower income demographics and who primarily use public transport to get around. It is essential that they can access health services without having a single appointment turn into a day trip because they have to travel long distances to the CBD using multiple public transport services with a baby, toddler or child in tow.

The framework is now available for consultation through the YourSAy website. I encourage all members of parliament to share it with their community and encourage members of all our communities to make their contributions through the YourSAy website. This demonstrates the Marshall Liberal government's commitment to supporting the provision of better health services closer to home in Adelaide's north. I am sure that residents in the member for King's electorate will be appreciative of this information, and I hope many of them will contribute to the YourSAy consultation.