Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Amendment Bill 2024 will address the gap in the professional indemnity insurance market. This gap has prevented eligible midwives from accessing insurance when attending homebirths for Australian mothers. The uncertainty that this has created with regard to the exemptions to professional indemnity insurance for privately practising midwives has acted as a barrier for Australian women who wish to have a homebirth and uncertainty for the midwives who would like to provide these services.

In response, this bill expands the MPIS to ensure professional indemnity insurance coverage for eligible midwives providing homebirth services and intrapartum care outside of a hospital and at birth centres. The coalition supports this legislation as it provides Australian women with the option to make their own supported and informed choices when it comes to homebirth.

By expanding access to professional indemnity insurance, the bill supports eligible midwives in delivering safe and accessible care, including homebirths and intrapartum care outside of hospitals for non-complicated births. This will support greater choice for Australian women and families in their pregnancy journey and, particularly, assist mothers in rural and remote Australia, who face additional challenges in accessing maternity services within a hospital setting. It will allow Australian women greater choice to birth at home with their chosen midwife, with the security of knowing professional indemnity insurance is available in the case of an adverse event.

In the midst of a serious workforce crisis which is impacting almost all facets of our healthcare system, supporting healthcare professionals to work to their full scope of practice is integral to ensuring Australians have access to the healthcare services they need. This bill places trust on eligible midwives to practise to their full scope by allowing them to provide homebirth and intrapartum care outside of hospital within the safety net of professional indemnity insurance.

The coalition understands that Australian women need to be supported to be able to make choices about how they want to live their lives, and that starts with making sure governments are supporting women with their health. The coalition wants to ensure that women across Australia can access care and that we understand their needs and their experiences. Supporting the health and wellbeing of Australian women and girls is an absolute priority for the coalition, which is why we will be supporting this legislation.

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