A long-awaited and highly critical audit of maintenance in Western Australia's public hospitals has finally been made public, revealing an 'embarrassing' and systemic failure to address thousands of repair jobs, some of which have been left incomplete for years.
Damning Findings of Systemic Neglect
The report, which scrutinised the state of health maintenance across WA's hospital network, was completed by Auditor General Caroline Spencer in June 2023 but was only tabled in Parliament and released to the public in late April 2024. The delay followed intense pressure from the opposition and media after the scale of the problems began to emerge.
The audit uncovered a staggering backlog of issues. It found that health authorities had failed to act on more than 27,000 maintenance requests that were overdue across the system. Shockingly, some of these requests for repairs had been languishing in the system for over five years. The audit highlighted that maintenance planning was 'not effective' and that the data used to manage repairs was unreliable.
Among the specific failures cited were malfunctioning air conditioning units, broken patient lifts, and faulty fire safety systems. These are not minor inconveniences but critical infrastructure failures that can directly impact patient care, staff safety, and the overall functioning of essential medical facilities.
A Delayed Response and Political Fallout
The report's release came only after the opposition Liberal party obtained and publicised a leaked draft, forcing the government's hand. Premier Roger Cook, who was the Health Minister at the time the audit was conducted, faced significant criticism for the delay. He had initially received the report in mid-2023.
When defending the delay, Premier Cook stated that the government needed time to develop a comprehensive response plan. "I make no apologies for taking the time to get our response right," he said. However, this explanation did little to quell accusations that the government was attempting to hide embarrassing findings from the public, especially in the lead-up to a state election.
The opposition seized on the report, with Liberal leader Libby Mettam labelling the situation a "disgrace" and accusing the Cook government of a "cover-up." She argued that the public had a right to know about the dire state of hospital infrastructure much sooner.
Consequences and the Path Forward
The auditor's report made several key recommendations, all of which the government has stated it accepts. These include:
- Developing a clear, statewide strategy for managing health facility maintenance.
- Improving the accuracy and reliability of maintenance data systems.
- Establishing stronger oversight and accountability mechanisms.
- Prioritising and clearing the massive backlog of overdue maintenance requests.
The government has since announced a $47 million investment aimed at addressing the most urgent repair issues identified in the audit. Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson acknowledged the report's findings were confronting but stated the government was committed to fixing the problems.
This audit serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing Australia's public health infrastructure. The systemic neglect of basic maintenance in WA's hospitals has exposed patients and staff to potential risks and highlighted significant failures in governance and transparency. The public will now be watching closely to see if the promised reforms and funding actually lead to tangible improvements in the state's vital health services.
