Latest news with #LibbyMettam
West Australian
3 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Opposition renews calls to fund meningococcal B vaccine as WA hits seven cases of deadly disease
The Opposition has renewed calls to fund the meningococcal B vaccine after six of seven recorded cases of the deadly disease this year were identified as the strain. The latest case of the uncommon but life-threatening bacterial infection, diagnosed in a child who is now recovering in hospital, brought the total in line with the State's five-year average. It prompted shadow health minister Libby Mettam to urge the Minister for Preventative Health to consider a free vaccination program for MenB in Budget Estimates on Wednesday. A combined vaccine for A, C, W and Y strains is free via the National Immunisation Program for all children aged 12 months, but the immunisation to protect against the B strain is not. Immunising against MenB is currently a costly exercise in WA with two doses of the jab costing between $320 to $350. It is only free for First Nations children and other children with specified conditions. When urged to consider a free vaccination program in Budget Estimates, Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said WA Health were closely monitoring cases. 'The Department of Health and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate closely monitor all those serious notifiable diseases, including meningococcal,' she said. 'They continue to provide advice to ministers, including me, regarding the requirements relating to meningococcal B and other strains. 'I will continue to monitor the trends in relation to MenB and seek advice from experts around Western Australia's future response.' WA Department of Health director-general Shirley Bowen said a vaccination program would be considered if there were clusters of MenB in the community. 'Seven is a number that concerns us definitely,' she said. 'We have a very active and watching brief on this situation and we will consider it at any time should we see significant clusters of meningococcal B occurring. 'At the moment, we are not seeing significant clusters. We are just seeing the occasional case but we definitely recognise it is an important and preventable disease and we will continue to watch it actively.' At a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Mettam said the strain B vaccine 'represents extraordinary bang for buck because it ultimately saves lives'. 'Meningococcal B is a serious life threatening condition but there is a way to prevent it and that is through the roll out of a free vaccination, something that we have seen in other states,' she said. 'The Cook Labor government can do this.' Meningitis Centre chief executive Karen Quick backed the call for MenB vaccinations to be made free. 'South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory have all gone ahead as they're not prepared to take a gamble with their children's lives,' she said. 'Western Australia can do exactly the same thing. It's not fair, it's not equitable that the states across our borders get vaccinated and yet our children here in WA don't. 'Vaccines are no good sitting on shelves. They need to be in our children's arms to protect them.'
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
WA regional hospitals hit record high for ambulance ramping hours
Ambulances in regional Western Australia spent more than 240 hours waiting outside hospitals to transfer patients last month — an average of eight hours a day. The June figures from St John represent a new high for regional ramping, surpassing the previous record of 222.2 hours last September. Ramping happens any time an ambulance spends more than 30 minutes waiting outside a hospital for their patient to be received. While every regional hospital except Northam experienced a month-on-month increase in June, Bunbury hospital bore the brunt of the problem, accounting for about 85 per cent of non-metropolitan ramping hours. Meanwhile, metropolitan hospitals collectively observed a small decrease. WA deputy opposition leader and shadow health minister Libby Mettam said the situation was putting regional West Australians' lives at risk. She said spikes in ramping could also hamper the capacity of paramedics to respond to emergencies. Health Minister Meredith Hammat said ramping was a nationwide issue with a range of complex contributing factors. "Our government is throwing everything we can at it," she said. "Bunbury Regional Hospital is currently undergoing a $471.5 million redevelopment to boost patient capacity, and we've significantly increased staff numbers statewide by more than 30 per cent since 2021. "WA Country Health Service has several initiatives to attract and retain junior doctors in the regions, and I'm pleased to report a record 33 interns joined the health service this year." The state government began a significant redevelopment of Bunbury hospital in January to expand its capacity. But the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said while the project would add more beds, it would not address staffing shortages, which it believed was behind the ramping increase. AMA WA president Kyle Hoath said it was a chronic and growing problem. "The workforce in our regional areas is stretched really thin … particularly when we look at Bunbury," he said. Dr Hoath said it was not just hospital staffing shortages having an impact on ramping. He said general practitioners were under pressure in regional and rural areas too, partly due to a lack of specialist services, meaning some patients were forced to lean on emergency services instead. Dr Hoath has urged the state government to invest more in attracting medical staff to the regions and incentivising them to stay. The National Rural Health Alliance echoed that call. "We need to make sure that we pay people well, not less, that we make sure their practices can function without feeling that they're stretched," chief executive Susanne Tegen said. "It's about time people that live in rural Australia receive the same access to healthcare and the same amount of dollars [as is] spent on urban people." Dental surgeon David McInerney is well acquainted with the difficulties of attracting staff to the region. But the Margaret River-based practitioner said it was not always for lack of desire. "There is simply nowhere for them to live," Dr McInerney said. Recently he had to put three of his dental staff up in vacant dwellings on his own property in order to keep them. "Other health practices who don't have that additional help would be struggling to attract staff because if they don't have anywhere to live, they're not going to come," he said. Dr Mclnerney said the area's growing population was also putting a strain on other essential infrastructure, including Margaret River Hospital itself. He said this added pressure to Bunbury's system as locals were often forced to turn there instead. "People are seriously ill but they're being shipped away from their families and their support networks simply because they don't have the beds available," he said. The ABC has contacted the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) for comment. St John WA declined to comment.
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Basil Zempilas kicks first goal as he aims to lead WA Liberals back into power
Basil Zempilas' punt for leadership has sailed straight through the goalposts, in a gameplay by Western Australia's Liberals that surprised nobody. As the nation waited for the federal budget to drop, Zempilas took centre stage on the steps of the state parliament to announce his unopposed appointment as opposition leader. By his side was his predecessor, Libby Mettam, who stepped down to deputy. Barely a fortnight after being elected to parliament, the former football player and sports presenter turned-lord mayor says a Liberal reset is under way. 'The road to 2029 election begins today,' he said. 'I am honoured and humbled to have been elected to lead the Western Australian Liberal party.' 'We will examine, probe and scrutinise and we will demand 'gold standard' transparency and accountability from WA Labor.' He went on to reveal that earlier this month he severed his employment with billionaire Kerry Stokes' Seven West Media, a role he controversially retained while earning $186,000 a year as lord mayor of Perth. He said his position as lord mayor ceased automatically when the election results were declared. But Zempilas admitted he would continue to write unpaid for his former employer and appear on Channel 7's Sunrise program. 'Libby Mettam writes a column in The West Australian, but is not an employee of Seven West Media. Rita Saffioti writes a column in The West Australian,' he said. The big question now is whether Zempilas' high profile is enough of a silver bullet for the WA Liberals. Labor won its third successive landslide on 8 March, taking 46 of the 59 lower house seats. The Liberals, while narrowly winning back opposition status – after losing it in 2021 – only hold seven seats in the legislative assembly, one more than the Nationals. Instead of comfortably winning the once blue-ribbon Liberal stronghold seat of Churchlands, Zempilas limped over the line by 636 votes – with 90% of the ballot now counted. 'It was a humiliating rejection (by many voters),' William Bowe, a political analyst at the University of Western Australia, says. 'It's part of the parcel of evidence that he is not as appealing as his backers assumed that he was.' But Bowe says Zempilas has 'showbiz pizzazz'. 'He is obviously good on television. It is going to be a learning curve for Basil, who has a lot of experience in the media, but little as a parliamentary strategist. 'I think the early period is going to be quite dangerous for Basil, if he commits a couple of high-profile blunders then it could stick.' Zempilas, 53, is no stranger to controversy. He raised eyebrows more than once during his mayoral tenure, notably when he wrote in his newspaper column that homeless people should be forcibly removed from Perth city. He later backtracked on those comments, saying he wanted to turn car parks into safe spaces before again having to apologise for making transphobic comments on his radio 6PR program. On Tuesday, Zempilas said he was committed to ensuring WA Labor makes decisions to benefit all West Australians. 'We will not allow four more years of failures in delivering quality health services, accessible housing, and reliable, affordable electricity.' Murdoch University political scientist, Jacob Broom, says Zempilas brings personality and name recognition, but warned that can come with its negatives. 'There is polling that shows that name recognition for Libby Mettam and Shane Love was quite low,' Broom says. 'I think that is why he is perceived as a positive for the party,' Broom says. 'But his (Zempilas') image is kind of divisive to especially middle-class voters that the Liberal party are really trying to get back. Some voters have a reaction to electing a sports or media personality because they perceive him to not have the credentials to make good leadership decisions and govern.' Zempilas' track record on women's shelters and his notoriety as a major sporting personality may be problematic for a Liberal party working to resuscitate its popularity with women, Broom says. During his time as lord mayor Zempilas defended a decision to end the trial of a women's night shelter that housed many who were escaping family and domestic violence. At the time, Zempilas insisted he was acting for the Perth community and cited complaints from nearby residents about anti-social behaviour. He said he asked the state government to fund the service in the future and they had declined. Today, Zempilas says that the WA Liberal team will prove it is a credible alternative to government. He promised to lead with fairness, integrity and with an invigorated team that listens to West Australians.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'David and Goliath battle': leaders make final pitch
The electoral combatants have sharpened their pitch to Western Australian voters in a state poll that most people predict is a forgone conclusion. Labor is universally tipped to win a historic third term in Saturday's election after two landslide victories in 2017 and 2021. But the Liberals are hoping the party can significantly erode the incumbent's 53 of 59 seat stranglehold on the WA lower house. Two opinion polls published on Friday point to gains for the Liberals. A Demos AU survey of 1126 people predicts a 57-43 two-party preferred vote, with a 13 per cent swing against Labor that could put up to 11 seats in reach of the Liberals. Newspoll similarly predicts Liberal gains of up to 11 seats, with its polling showing a 57.5 to 42.5 two-party-preferred Labor lead from a 12.2 per cent swing, up from 56-44 a month ago. Liberal leader Libby Mettam said Labor had taken Western Australians for granted and after eight years it was time for a change. "If Labor are re-elected tomorrow, nothing will change," she told reporters on Friday at a polling station in Perth's northern suburbs. Labor is taking Western Australians for granted. If Labor win on Saturday, nothing will change. After 8 years, Labor haven't delivered for you. Families are struggling under cost-of-living pressures, our health system is broken, homes are unaffordable and hard to find, and… — Libby Mettam (@LibbyMettam) March 6, 2025 Ms Mettam said the health system was broken, housing was unaffordable and costs of living pressures and crime were out of control as she batted away questions about her predicted loss. "We appreciate it's a David and Goliath battle, but we're listening to the people of Western Australia," she said. "Only the WA Liberals have a plan and a team with experience, who have had real jobs, that are committed to fixing the priorities that Western Australians are talking about." Asked about her leadership if the Liberals lost the poll, Ms Mettam said she was comfortable in her position and she was focused on winning the election. Premier Roger Cook reminded voters about his party's Made In WA manufacturing strategy which has been its key pitch during the election. "We'll bring manufacturing back to the heart of our economy. We'll locally manufacture our trains, our ferries, our busses, our batteries, wind turbines, poles and wires as part of our decarbonisation and clean energy transition," he said from a metal works business in Perth's north. "Labor will keep the WA economy the strongest in the nation." Mr Cook, who is yet to win an election as premier off his own back after replacing Mark McGowan who down in 2023, also leaned in on Labor's track record in government. "In times of global uncertainty, WA needs experienced leadership. It needs a steady hand at the wheel and only WA Labor can provide that for the state," he said while flanked by Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti. Asked about Friday's polls, Mr Cook said that Saturday's election was the only poll that counted but he was buoyed by the results. "We're obviously pleased that our hard work is starting to be recognised, and if these polls are an indication of the outcome on Saturday, we'll be delighted. But we're not taking anything for granted," he said. More than 450,000 of Western Australia's 1.86 million electors had cast their pre-poll ballots as of Thursday, according to the state electoral commission.
