Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only place mothers can have a natural birth in the electorate of Flynn is in Emerald. I say this because I want to remind everybody that you still cannot have a natural birth in Gladstone or Biloela hospitals. Yes, the Gladstone and Biloela maternity service wards are still on bypass. That means that expecting mothers must drive well over an hour to Rockhampton to give birth. I've heard some of the stories of the traumatic experiences they have faced. Expecting mothers in my region are booking themselves in for caesarean sections because they don't want to run the risk of roadside births while travelling to Rockhampton.

One of the reasons we have a maternity crisis in rural and regional Queensland is that the Labor state government doesn't support GP practices or their need to access the public hospital system to practise their medical expertise. This is forcing GPs to close their doors. There are no GP services west of Emerald.

Once again, I would like to thank the over 3,000 people who signed a petition calling for the Labor state government to reinstate these maternity services. I also thank Jemma from Save Gladstone Maternity Ward and Lisa from Save Biloela Maternity Ward, who are fighting for the restoration of maternity services. Our community has had enough, and we cannot let this issue go unforgotten.