Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday, federal and state Labor shadow health ministers Catherine King and Walt Secord announced that, if elected, Labor will build a palliative care hospice on the Central Coast. This is good news for our community. I would like to acknowledge Oana McBride, the Lions Club of Wyoming East Gosford Centennial and the Elsie's Retreat Committee, who, alongside Anne Charlton, the Labor candidate for Robertson, have been fighting for improved palliative care services on the coast for many years.

The Central Coast is one of the biggest regions in Australia that does not have a standalone palliative care unit. Everyone deserves dignity at the end of life. If elected, federal Labor will invest $20 million to establish a 20-bed standalone palliative care unit at Woy Woy Public Hospital, answering the long-standing calls of our community. A Daley New South Wales Labor government would fund staff and provide the site on the Woy Woy Public Hospital campus. The new unit will house a dedicated multidisciplinary specialist palliative care team to meet patients' end-of-life needs. Construction of the facility is expected to commence in 2020 and will also support local jobs and suppliers.

Our community has been fighting for Elsie's Retreat for many years. In fact, over 10,000 people have shown their support by signing the petition, but the federal and state Liberal governments have failed to hear. Labor is committed to improving palliative care services across the country. Everyone deserves the best care at the end of life, wherever they live.