11 June 2024
In what is a significant win for the Cootamundra community, the NSW Parliament has voted in support of an Opposition motion calling on the release of all documents relating to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s (MLHD) draft Health Service Plan for the local hospital.
Joining forces with her Opposition colleagues in the Upper House, Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said she was compelled to take action, following a serious lack of community consultation on the plan.
“Since the draft Health Service Plan for the Cootamundra Hospital was released, two things have become clear: firstly, that certain health services are at risk, and secondly, that the community has not been properly consulted on this draft plan,” Ms Cooke said.
“What is not so clear however, is exactly how the MLHD arrived at this point, and this motion to produce documents is a first step towards restoring trust and transparency in the process, which has so far fallen well short of community standards,” she said.
Ms Cooke said that despite claims to the contrary, the MLHD has shown no real interest in community input, and no genuine concern for what’s in the best interests of the town and its surrounding areas.
“I’m sorry to say, but the MLHD’s so called community consultation has been tokenistic at best. This was never more evident than during last week’s information evening which could only be described as a “schemozzle”,” Ms Cooke said.
“Unlike the MLHD I have had many, many conversations with the community, speaking in-depth to a wide range of stakeholders from doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, pathologists, dentists, new mothers, and older residents.
“What they’re telling me is that there has been a genuine lack of engagement with the community, who are now concerned about what the future holds for various services including maternity, pathology, and surgical services in the town.
“There are serious questions about how the MLHD came up with this draft document, and this motion will go towards providing the answers that we in the community seek,” she said.
Ms Cooke explained that those involved in the creation of the plan – including the MLHD, and the Minister for Regional Health – now have 28 days to hand over all documents relating to the plan, including meeting minutes, costings, data, and surveys.
“This is a win for common sense that will help shine a light on what to this point, has been quite an opaque process,” Ms Cooke said.
“We in the community were never going to sit idly by and let this plan fly under the radar; the process to this point simply hasn’t been up to scratch, and the MLHD had to be called out on it and held to account.
“From the beginning I have said the MLHD must go back to the drawing board and start again; this is now the first step towards ensuring this crucial document is fit-for-purpose, and is truly reflective of what this community needs and most importantly, deserves,” she said.
Comments