Several weeks ago, NSW Speaker and South Coast MP Shelley Hancock took aim at her federal counterpart, Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis, over the latter’s insertion into the council merger row. Saying Mrs Sudmalis should concentrate on issues she could control, Mrs Hancock suggested federal education and health funding as causes to take up.
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Well, health funding right in Milton Ulladulla seems to have been placed squarely on the federal election radar after another rally of concerned residents, many of them young mothers, who do not want to see local maternity services diminished to the the point where they simply disappear.
While health funding is administered directly by the Coalition NSW government, Macquarie Street relies heavily on funding from Canberra. While they’d be loath to say it publicly in the midst of a federal election campaign, there are many within the NSW Liberal party machine who are disappointed with the erosion of federal health funding. It is causing friction between the two levels of government. State Liberals know that ultimately it will reflect poorly on them.
It’s a situation the Labor Party is keen to exploit. On Friday, Gilmore candidate Fiona Phillips and rural and regional health spokesperson Stephen Jones met with 50 people on the harbour foreshore who were gathered for the launch of a petition to save the maternity ward.
But really, it should be above politics. At stake here is the future of a vital community facility, upon which the future of our region depends heavily.
If maternity services are whittled away to nothing and mothers are expected to chance their childbirth on a road trip that can be perilous at the best of times, we will deter young families from moving into the area.
Those young families deterred from putting down roots in the region may well be medical professionals. If they decide the risk is too great to move here, there will be an obvious flow-on effect.
This community has fought long and hard to maintain and expand medical services and judging from the groundswell of support for keeping maternity services up to scratch, it will continue to do so.
The Times will be right behind them. We don’t believe it acceptable to expect mothers to deliver their babies in Nowra and we certainly don’t think it fair a thriving community such as ours should be content with minimal health services.
We are in this fight with you.
