Midwifery Services, Kapunda Region

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister provide an update to the house on midwifery services for Kapunda maternity patients? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: On 1 November, the minister told this house that, and I quote:

I am happy to seek further information from the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network in terms of the exact issues that are happening in the Kapunda region…

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:30): I am happy to answer the question from the member for Frome and understand the interest from her local area. I certainly have spoken to both the chair and the chief executive of the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network about this issue.

This is a relatively small birthing service, comparatively. I understand that there are 51 projected births for Kapunda in this calendar year. What has occurred is that issues in terms of the midwifery availability at that service over a period over the next nine weeks, where people have been either seconded to other sites or on leave over that period, has led to there having to be a diversion in place to Gawler.

What the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network has done is work very closely with the doctor involved, who provides services at Kapunda Hospital, who is Dr Van Dissel and who I am sure many members, particularly on the other side, will be familiar with. Dr Van Dissel has done an incredible job providing services in that community for many, many years.

They have worked with him in order to make sure that there can be continuity of care for patients to be able to receive their services at Gawler. I understand that that has been occurring and that appropriate support has been provided for those women to be able to give birth at Gawler during that period and also to make sure that there are the antenatal services as required being provided locally in the Kapunda region as well.

This is something we are very happy as the local member raises—if she would like a briefing on this matter I am happy to organise that from the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network and understand her interest in it. It does give me the opportunity to raise an issue, which I noticed from Hansardyesterday, when the member for Frome raised about birthing services, where she made a comment that the Waikerie services had closed in the past year and Kangaroo Island. It does give me the opportunity to correct that.

Ms Pratt: Five towns in 12 months and counting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome, order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: It was actually the Liberal Party that closed the Waikerie birthing services during the term of the previous government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: It is incredible—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome! The member for Frome is warned.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —to hear not only when the Waikerie birthing services were closed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —by the Marshall Liberal government, but now we hear the first comments ever from the member for Chaffey about it, who made no comments about it when it closed whatsoever.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated. There is a point of order from the member for Morialta, which I will hear under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The simplest way to go is standing order 98.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is some merit to the matter that has been raised with me by the member for Morialta. I bring the minister to the question.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: If there had been comments along those lines, I certainly wasn't made aware. I am happy to correct that from the member for Frome yesterday and also to inform her, in relation to Kangaroo Island services, that this government worked incredibly hard with the member for Mawson—

Ms Pratt: Four months, they were out of service—four months.

The SPEAKER: Member for Frome, you are on a final warning! Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —to bring those services back—

Ms Pratt: Whyalla, still unresolved.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —and to deliver those services, very importantly, to Kangaroo Island.

Ms Pratt: All recommendations accepted but still no workforce.

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated. Member for Frome, you just continue to interject. It is constant. Despite my assistance to you by way of warning, you are going to have to depart under 137A for the remainder of question time.

The honourable member for Frome having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: We were on Kangaroo Island recently through country cabinet, being able to meet families who had their babies delivered on Kangaroo Island thanks to the extra investments, the extra work that had been done to make sure that those birthing services could be delivered, another very small service, but particularly critical on Kangaroo Island because of the difficulty in terms of being able to access the mainland through limited ferry or flight services.

I thank the member for Mawson and his community for their strong work on this issue, and that is an excellent example of the hard work and the very difficult work that it took to get those birthing services back up and operating.