TOM FRENCH, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MOORE: I'm Tom French, I'm the Federal Member for Moore. It is great to have everyone back in Joondalup two days in a row. It's great to be back at Luma. I've been working with Luma over the last couple of months and had a few meetings and chats with them. It's been fantastic. But I will just hand over now to the Assistant Minister for Health, Rebecca White.
REBECCA WHITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING: The Federal Australian Government is very excited to be supporting women's health and I'm really proud to be standing here at Luma today, who are successful in co-partnering with us to deliver a pelvic pain and clinic here in Joondalup. This is one of 11 as part of the expansion to add to our network of 22, bringing the total to 33 across the country.
Our women's health package is about providing better access, affordable and timely care for women so that they can get the healthcare that they deserve. Here in Luma we're going to be able to offer, from Monday, appointments for women to access services that support them with information and support for endometriosis, for persistent pelvic pain, but also to support them if they're dealing with perimenopause and menopause which is one of the conditions that's been added to the services that are going to be supported through our persistent pelvic pain clinics across country.
This was a commitment that was made in the last budget of $19.6 million that will support women right across Australia in every primary health network to access the care that they need. We know that women's health has often been neglected and that's why the Federal Labor Government has been so determined to prioritise it.
Our nearly $800 million package is about three things. It's about affordability, it's about access, and it's about timely care. We know that we need to make sure women can access the care they need, and it's not only been achieved through support through these pelvic pain clinics but also strengthening Medicare which has supported women to access new appointments that are funded by Medicare for perimenopause and menopause assessments, but also through listing of new medicines on the PBS to make sure that they can access affordable medicines when so often these have been out of reach.
The funding announcement today for Luma, brings the number of persistent pelvic pain clinics in Western Australia to three, totalling 33 across the country. And it makes it possible for women to access the support they need for things like endometriosis, perimenopause, menopause and other persistent pelvic pain that they might be experiencing. We have a very experienced team here, including allied health professionals, nurses and doctors who can support people with the concerns that they may have.
I'm going to ask Beth Lord, who's the CEO of Luma, to speak in a bit more detail about what services are offered here.
BETH LORD, CEO, LUMA: Thank you, Assistant Minister White. I'm Beth Lord, I'm the CEO of Luma. Luma is one of the largest women's health services in WA community-based. We're a not-for-profit and we care for thousands of women every year.
And this contract and partnership with the Federal Government allows us to further grow how we care for women and ensure that we are supporting them in their needs as they go through their life stages. So really looking at our endometriosis side of the clinic initially, to really care for those young women who are unsure of what is happening and what care they need, and make sure they're listened to, and then as we go through those persistent pelvic pain problems that do occur from all ages of life for women across the lifespan.
And then, particularly, wonderful to see the focus of the Federal Government on perimenopause and menopause, as we do have so many women already coming through our clinic. And being able to offer them the holistic service and the integrated care model that they really need through from the nursing, the GP’S, our allied health including physiotherapists and our psychologists, to really make sure they are heard and they can get the treatment they need.
We're very grateful. We're looking forward to starting from Monday, the clinic will be open, and our new nurse who's joined the team over the last few months, Ebony, is an absolute gun, and she's looking forward to welcoming our women through the clinic. So, thank you very much.
JOURNALIST: Are you seeing more women coming forward with this? I mean, it’s obviously required- we're opening up 11 now with this new lot of funding, 33 in the country.
LORD: Look, yeah. Absolutely. There's a huge demand. Women are often unheard, and it's for many factors. But the key thing is that at Luma we sit and listen. We really dig into the whole history and we hear them. And I think the demand for being heard is there. We have been inundated on social media already about this clinic and we are putting in even further resources on top of what the Federal Government has given us to meet the demand. Because they are amazing and they do want to be heard.
And we're also partnering with other GPs to make sure we them and show them- you know, work with them on women's health and make sure they understand all the different pieces that need to come together to support women.
JOURNALIST: I guess you mentioned that this is a huge step and quite a significant one, but you've mentioned also that the demand is still there. So, what's next? Like what more needs to be done? What would you be hoping for?
LORD: That we continue to grow the EPPC clinics. I think it's a great initiative as a Federal Government and, as we grow, to continue to grow with us.
JOURNALIST: Do you have a goal as to what that looks like or how many more clinics you'd like to see, where they'd be placed?
LORD: Our dream for Luma would be there'd be women's health clinics everywhere, and I think that would be amazing. One of the things we're working on at the moment at Luma is that we are a really special organisation in terms of we offer all services to women. Women could be coming to see us for a GP appointment, they might just be coming in for a pap smear, they might be coming in for a significant problem around heavy menstrual bleeding, or they might be coming in for a mental health concern or family and domestic violence, or struggling with the care of their children.
So we are a completely holistic model which is quite phenomenal, and we want to see that model grow. At the moment we have hubs in Northbridge and Joondalup and we want to see them grow. There's amazing women's health services in WA and we partner with them all because they do offer some more services.
JOURNALIST: And how long have you been waiting for something like this?
LORD: I've been CEO for a year. So I think we're always waiting. I think women's health is now become- is a topic. It's something that we're really happy to talk about. We're open and honest. I mean, in your network of friends, I'm sure you now find that people are happy to discuss heavy menstrual bleeding or pelvic pain or I'm really cranky now and, you know, heading into that perimenopausal phase.
So I think now there's an openness to talk about it, with that openness, comes the demand. So, as more and more we talk about women's health problems, there will be more need for more women's health clinics as we grow.
JOURNALIST: And the funding will help with setting up of the clinic and then continuing it for three years?
LORD: Continuing, yeah, absolutely. It really supports the allied health services so that we can minimise the cost. I think cost minimisation is really important to make sure that it's accessible and affordable to women. And it enables us to offer and make sure we're triaging really well and able to support our GP’s.
WHITE: Can I just go to the question you asked about what more is being done?
JOURNALIST: Yeah, of course.
WHITE: One of the things the Federal Labor Government's been really determined to do is to increase the skill and understanding across the entire medical workforce. What we want is for a woman, no matter who she's seeing, to be able to access the support that she needs and that the person she is sitting down and discussing her health needs with has a good understanding of what sort of treatment pathways exist.
And that’s why we’ve invested a lot in training and also in updating clinical guidelines so that we are increasing the capacity of the medical workforce right across the country, not just in these clinics. At the end of the day, what I want is for a woman to be able to walk in to see her GP or her nurse in any clinic anywhere in the country and to be able to get the best care.
And that’s why our investment strengthening Medicare is really vital because you’re taking away some of those cost barriers but it’s also why we’ve invested heavily in training and providing subsidised opportunities for people to get further education so they can understand women’s health so that we don’t have instances where a woman walks in to have a conversation with her GP and then walks out feeling like she wasn’t listened to. We need to change that and that’s where our investment has been heavily targeted.
JOURNALIST: And you talk about the need again, I guess, for this and there is a higher demand for it. There’s clinics in Joondalup and Northbridge. Are women having to travel further? Like, what’s their access for the women that live outside of that area or wider, I guess?
WHITE: We have already established 22 endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain clinics across the country. We’ve expanded that to 33 which is one in every primary health network in the country.
Now, I recognise that means that for some women, there’s still a distance to travel if they want an appointment with that specific clinic but that’s where training the broader medical workforce is so fundamental because we want women to be able to access the care they need close to where they live, and for them to go and see a GP or a nurse practitioner who can provide them with good advice and information because they understand women’s health.
And that’s where I think the breakdown has been in the past. Women’s health hasn’t been a priority, whether it’s through the training and the curriculum, but also in the way that previous federal governments have invested and that was changed under the Federal Labour Government, an $800 million commitment that is about providing better access and more affordable and timely access to care, to support women to access the health care that they deserve no matter where they live.
JOURNALIST: Looking at health more broadly, there's been calls for a number of years for a new hospital to be built up in Yanchep, just to the north, due to the pretty rapidly growing population there. The Liberal Party committed to a study if they were elected last year. Is there any movement on that from the Federal Government? Can we expect funding from the Federal Government coming for a new hospital?
WHITE: Well, funding for state-run hospitals are matters for the state government, and I'd suggest that you have a conversation with them about what their intentions are.
JOURNALIST: Have you heard calls for it though?
WHITE: No, but I do have a meeting with the State Health Minister this week so we're talking about a number of things including women's health and I'm very happy to have a conversation with anybody about how we can improve access to health care particularly through the primary health care network.
JOURNALIST: Are you expecting aged care to come up in that meeting with the state counterpart?
WHITE: We'll have a conversation about a range of things, I'm sure.
JOURNALIST: There have been a lot of kind of- well, discussions about aged care, not enough aged care beds, clogging up hospitals. There's been a bit of a back and forth between state and federal. Has there been any progress on a more concrete agreement for doing that?
WHITE: There's a couple of things I think you might be referring to there. The first is aged care reform. On the 1st of November last year, the Aged Care Act came into effect, which included a $4.3 billion commitment from the Federal Government to provide more packages of care for people to have access to that support in their home. That will take pressure off the hospital system because it means that people can remain in their homes for longer but also be discharged with a package of care to support them as they return to their homes. We don't want any Australian to be waiting longer than is needed for the care that they deserve and that is where our investment in the Aged Care Act and the reforms that have been coupled with that are so important.
But alongside that, we're in active discussions with states and territories about the National Health Reform Agreement. We've put $23 billion on the table as part of that discussion to support hospitals to operate, but also the overall health system to operate effectively so Australian patients can access the health care they deserve.
JOURNALIST: Are you confident you'll reach that agreement soon?
WHITE: We're working very hard in good faith with states and territories so that we can progress that negotiation to conclusion. It remains our intention to do that as quickly as possible.
JOURNALIST: On a recent complaint made against yourself and others about a game you were playing in public, you've apologised for causing offence. What exactly did you apologise for? Was it for playing or for what you said during the game?
WHITE: Well, I did make an apology and that apology was accepted. So as far as I'm concerned, I've got no further comment to add. The apology was accepted. I'm here today to talk about women's health which I think is a really important matter. We're talking about a significant investment in a new clinic that is going to provide access to women for concerns they may have relating to endometriosis, persistent pelvic pain, perimenopause, menopause, issues that confront Australian women every single day. That's what I am determined to deliver on as part of Government.
JOURNALIST: Yeah, well the story has gotten a big reaction though, so do you think it's been beat up?
WHITE: I've provided an apology and that apology has been accepted and I take that in good faith. I'm here working hard on behalf of the community today to deliver new and important services for women's health. That's what I'm focused on doing.
JOURNALIST: Is that kind of language ever appropriate for federal politicians to be using? Any politicians?
WHITE: I provided an apology and that apology was accepted. I'm pleased that was the case and I've made sure that I'm working every single day on behalf of my community, including today, announcing a new service to support women's health, making sure here in Western Australia, women who need access to support and services for endometriosis, persistent pelvic pain, perimenopause, menopause can get the care that they deserve. This is the real work. This is about providing services that people deserve. It's what Government is committed to delivering on and I'm very proud to be standing here.
JOURNALIST: What would your reaction have been if you found out it was male colleagues playing the game and your name was brought up?
WHITE: I've provided an apology and that apology has been accepted. I've got no further comments to add.
JOURNALIST: Just got a couple of questions for Tom French as well.
JOURNALIST: Just on those calls for a Yanchep hospital, are you concerned that if a Yanchep hospital isn't built quickly it's going to put more pressure in your electorate and at Joondalup Hospital?
FRENCH: I think we've got to remain focused on the facilities that we've already had. We've already seen a massive expansion here in Joondalup and we've seen the quality of service and some of the issues that have been- we may have seen in the past have been declining, which is- I think is what the community wants to see.
JOURNALIST: But if that Yanchep population is going to rise as quickly as expected, isn't that going to put a whole lot more pressure on an already under strain hospital system?
FRENCH: Well, again, you'll have to speak to the State Minister about what they want to do.
JOURNALIST: Is it something you've been advocating for as a local member?
FRENCH: My focus is on the community.
JOURNALIST: Have that community expressed to you that they're concerned about the hospital?
FRENCH: No one's expressed that to me.
JOURNALIST: No one? Not local government or anything? Not the City of Wanneroo?
FRENCH: No, not from my constituents. Any other questions there guys?