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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 399 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 21 June 2022 by Dr K. Stratton

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

CHILDREN'S HOSPICE — CITY OF NEDLANDS

399. Dr K. STRATTON to the Minister for Lands:

I refer to the development of the state's first children's hospice in the City of Nedlands that will provide palliative out-of-home respite care and support for Western Australian children. Can the minister outline to the house how the McGowan Labor government is supporting this project, including through the provision of land in Swanbourne, and why all Western Australians should support this important facility?

Mr J.N. CAREY replied:

I want to thank the local member for her question and also her support for this incredible community project.

As we know, our government has facilitated, through the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, an A-class, A-grade process to make a portion of the reserve available for a hospice. All of us know the importance of this hospice to Western Australians. This will be a seven-bed facility that is designed to provide children with a safe, home-like environment where they can be cared for at end of life. This will help children and families during the most difficult time for that family's journey. There is an obvious and clear public interest for Western Australians. It is because of this, and given consideration of planning approvals, that the City of Nedlands staff recommended that the city support the development of the hospice, subject to usual planning conditions, in an agenda dated 14 June. It is going through an essential planning process.

I want to put this on the public record. It deeply saddens me to see the commentary by some City of Nedlands elected officials regarding this hospice. In fact, I would say it is publicly shameful. I will refer to some of the quotes. ''I know it's going to be a white elephant'' is a quote by one of the counsellors. Another said that it will become the ''coastal arm of Perth Children's Hospital''. One counsellor bemoaned the fact that the hospice could include office space with fantastic views. I want to be very clear that the commentary contradicts the clear advice from the Child and Adolescent Health Service that said one desk is allocated for administrative support. The majority of the office space in the hospice is for palliative care clinical staff who will provide the care and support for children and their families, yet these counsellors are making incredible criticisms and frivolous planning considerations that I suspect are an attempt ultimately to oppose this development. In fact, they have also raised other issues like bushfire risk and local traffic.

I wish this were the first time we had seen this kind of sad behaviour by this council, but it is not. The council also recently voted against displaying a house that was designed specifically by a husband and wife, Prestige Home, for their autistic child. They wanted to display it for two months so that other families could view it—another good purpose, I would argue. The mayor at the time who argued against it said, Dalkeith ''is or used to be one of the most prestigious areas in Australia'' and she did not want ''to create the Truman Show for Dalkeith''. Local government has a responsibility. It takes a choice about the type of leadership it wants to provide for its community, and it has two choices. The first choice, which Nedlands appears to adopt, is to prey on people's worst fears, to push nimbyism, even when it is about important issues like a hospice. The alternative is great leadership, which we do see from some local governments. If there are concerns or challenges, they work through them with their local community, but, ultimately, they work to the best interest, the public interest.

In this case, local government should absolutely be supporting a hospice that will provide families, at their most critical time, with that important service to get through this very difficult journey. I want to assure the people of Western Australia that our state government is supportive of that hospice, and I am deeply proud that we have been able to facilitate the project by providing that land.