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These are not isolated problems. They are symptoms of a system under strain and they demand action.

Our rural hospitals are under immense pressure. In June, ambulances in regional WA spent over 240 hours waiting outside emergency departments. Bunbury Hospital alone recorded more than 200 of those hours. These are not just numbers on a page, they mean sick people are kept in ambulances instead of receiving care. We’ve said adding beds alone won’t fix it. We also need to train and keep more doctors in the regions. I’ve urged the Government to invest in rural training places and support, so doctors will live and work in country WA. Rural towns deserve the same access and staffing as city areas. We cannot let people be shipped away from their families because we have no beds nearby.

We are facing a horror flu season and, without strong coverage, even a small rise in cases can overload our hospitals. Alarmingly, WA’s flu vaccine uptake is among the lowest in the country, and our children and working-age adults are protected less than ever before. I’ve joined calls for urgent community education, but we must also understand why people are skipping the flu jab so we can tailor our messaging. A free State program is available but uptake is low. We can’t afford a repeat of the northern hemisphere’s brutal flu winter. Vaccination now will save lives and keep pressure off our hospitals later.

These issues reinforce the three foundations I ran on as President. Universal access means ending ramping and long waits for anyone who needs care, and a strong workforce means training and retaining doctors and nurses right here in WA. Prevention means stopping illness before it starts, through vaccination, early intervention and robust public health programs.