Monday 22 May 2023

On Saturday, 20^th May, Canning MP Andrew Hastie, and WA State Liberal Leader, Libby Mettam, spearheaded a successful Peel Community Health Forum at Rushton Park, Mandurah.

The forum witnessed a resounding turnout, with nearly 300 frustrated, angry, and concerned locals gathering to share their experiences and demand action.

The Peel Health Campus—an essential healthcare facility for those in Mandurah and the Peel region—has long been plagued by issues such as bed shortages, ambulance ramping, and unacceptable waiting times.

Despite the recent surplus in the State budget, the WA Labor State Government has further delayed much-needed upgrades to the facility—further exacerbating the situation.

Expressing the collective sentiment of the community, Mr Hastie stated, “The people of Mandurah and the Peel region have reached their breaking point. They’ve had enough of the second-rate excuses from WA Labor about why work at the hospital hasn’t started—and they refuse to remain silent.”

“Libby and I listened—firsthand—from worried locals as they shared their personal stories about the struggles they and their loved ones have faced at the Peel Health Campus, because of Labor’s delays and inaction.

“And the message we hear was loud and clear: Mark McGowan and WA Labor have let us down.”

The evening before the forum, toxic mould was discovered in the hospital’s air-conditioning system, causing ambulances to be diverted from the emergency department, and patients to be transferred from affected wards.

“Our doctors and nurses have enough to deal with—no-one wants lives put at risk because of mould in the air-conditioning system”, Mr Hastie said.

“David Templeman, Lisa Munday and Robyn Clarke were elected promising to fix our local hospital and have dubbed themselves the ‘dream team’.

“But for the people of the Peel region—they’ve been nothing short of a nightmare.”

“On Saturday, our Peel community raised its voice, loud and clear.

“And we won’t stop fighting until Labor stops its excuses and starts getting to work,” Mr Hastie said.

Over 3700 people have signed Mr Hastie’s petition calling for urgent action at the Peel Health Campus, which can be found here.