Tasmanian Labor welcomes the release of the Final Report of the Independent Investigation of Maternity Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and we would like to thank Amanda Singleton and her panel for their work in conducting their investigation.

We also thank all the patients and staff who came forward and contributed to the investigation, and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and Health & Community Services Union for their advocacy that prompted the investigation to occur.

We are calling on the Government to act swiftly on the recommendations put forward by the report. The health department’s staffing crisis is well documented and it’s unsurprising that several of the recommendations relate to adequate staffing levels and practices in RHH’s maternity ward.

While the Government’s early response was dismissive of the concerns raised by health workers and their unions, it is encouraging that Minister Petrusma said they will take the report’s findings seriously.

The findings in the report are even more evidence that Minister Petrusma has a duty to stand up against the $600 million worth of Liberal cuts slated for the health department.

It’s well past time for the Liberal minority government to back in our front-line health staff because they do amazing things every day – cuts are not the answer.

Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Health