ADJOURNMENT
Senator CAROL BROWN (Tasmania) (19:29): I rise today to speak about the opening of the upgraded maternity facilities at Calvary Lenah Valley Hospital in Hobart. I was pleased to attend the official opening with the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and member for Lyons, Rebecca White MP. For any family having a baby, it's one of life's biggest moments.
It is joyful but it can also be anxious, especially when parents are thinking about the care they will need during pregnancy, birth and those first days with a newborn. Families need to know that, when the time comes, reliable care is available close to home. That is why the Albanese Labor government committed $6 million to support maternity services in Hobart after Healthscope made the decision to stop providing private maternity services.
That decision caused real concern for expecting parents in southern Tasmania. It raised questions about capacity, choice and whether Hobart families would continue to have the access to maternity care they needed. It's also a reminder that, when services in one part of the health system change, families still need certainty.
They want to know where to go, who will care for them and that the system has planned for their needs. That is what this investment has helped deliver in Hobart and across southern Tasmania. At Calvary Lenah Valley, it has helped deliver important improvements, including the renovation of an existing birthing suite, the refurbishment of the step-down nursery and new special care nursery equipment, including cots, incubators and monitoring and ultrasound equipment.
These are the rooms where babies will be born. They are the nurseries where newborns who need extra support will be cared for and they give families reassurance at one of the most important times in their lives. The broader Hobart maternity service project also includes improvements in the public system.
This includes a new four-bed intensive residential parenting unit at the Health and Wellbeing Precinct at St John's Park in New Town. It also includes a transition-to-home model at the Royal Hobart Hospital, with three additional en suite rooms, a shared lounge and a kitchenette. Some need help with feeding, settling, recovery, mental health or simply adjusting to life with a newborn.
Having that support available can make a difficult time easier and can help families feel more confident as they head home. I want to particularly acknowledge the staff at Calvary Lenah Valley. Buildings and equipment are important, but it is the people who make a health service work.
It's the midwifes who provide calm and reassurance. It's the nurses who notice when something is not quite right. It's the doctors, allied health staff, administrators, support teams and cleaners who all contribute to safe care.
Every one of them plays a part in supporting mothers, babies and families. This upgrade is also a reminder of why this government is investing in health. From 1 July, the Albanese Labor government is making Medicare urgent care clinics permanent.
We're also boosting funding for public hospitals, including with an additional $625 million for Tasmania over the next five years, and expanding endo and pelvic pain clinics to include menopause and perimenopause services. These measures are about making care easier to access, close to home and better suited to the needs of the community. For families in Hobart, this investment means stronger maternity capacity at Calvary Lenah Valley, it means the public system is also being supported and it means that, when services change, governments can work with local providers to make sure families are not left behind.
Health care is personal. It is the reassurance a family feels when they know the birthing suite is ready. It's the comfort of having skilled midwives and nurses close by.
It is the confidence of knowing that, if a baby needs extra care, the right equipment and the right people are there. I congratulate Calvary Lenah Valley on the completion of these upgrades. I thank every staff member who contributed to this work and who continues to care for Tasmanian families every day.
This is a good outcome for southern Tasmania, it's a good outcome for parents and, most importantly, it's a good outcome for the babies who will begin their lives in these upgraded facilities.