In a state as prosperous as Western Australia, it is unacceptable that our healthcare system has deteriorated to the point where vulnerable patients are unable to access the care they need.

Under the Labor Government’s mismanagement, Western Australians are enduring long emergency department wait times, record-high ambulance ramping, delays in specialist care, and shrinking access to general practice services.

One of the most alarming failures is ambulance ramping, where overcrowded emergency departments force paramedics to wait outside hospitals for hours, delaying patient transfers and preventing ambulances from responding to new emergencies.

This crisis puts lives at risk and further stretches an already overburdened health system.

Hospitals should be reserved for emergencies and specialist medical treatment, yet they have become the default option for non-urgent care simply because Labor has failed to ensure patients can access treatment at the community level.

The collapse of bulk billing, a severe GP shortage, and the lack of alternative urgent care options mean Western Australians are left with no choice but to seek care in overcrowded hospitals.

This is not just inefficiency — it is a fundamental failure of governance, and it is costing lives.

The WA Liberals understand that Western Australia needs a more efficient healthcare system, one that prioritises patient access and alleviates the growing strain on emergency departments.

Despite Labor’s promises, after eight years in government, the crisis has only deepened, leaving Western Australians waiting longer for essential care.

St John Urgent Care Clinics were established to provide immediate, non-life-threatening medical care, offering a vital alternative to overcrowded hospital emergency departments.

Yet under Labor, the system remains fragmented, and the burden on hospitals continues to grow.

Only a WA Liberal Government has the vision and commitment to fix this failing system and ensure Western Australians receive the care they deserve.

The WA Liberals believe that only through strategic investment and the expansion of frontline health services can Western Australia overcome the healthcare crisis and workforce shortages that are crippling our system.

For the past eight years, the Labor Government has failed to act, allowing emergency departments to become dangerously overcrowded, ambulance ramping to reach record highs, and GP access to deteriorate, with weeks-long waits for appointments now the norm.

Instead of fixing these issues, Labor has let them worsen, leaving Western Australians without timely and appropriate care.

Urgent Care Clinics serve as a vital alternative to emergency departments, reducing wait times and enabling paramedics to get back on the road faster by diverting lower-priority cases away from hospitals.

A WA Liberal Government will take decisive action by committing $73.2 million to establish three new St John Urgent Care Clinics, alongside an $18 million investment to purchase 60,000 episodes of care.

This policy will ensure that Western Australians receive timely medical treatment in the most appropriate setting, reduce pressure on overstretched hospitals, and provide a real solution to the failures of the Labor Government.

This will allow low-priority patients, whether transferred by ambulance or seeking treatment at an emergency department, to be redirected to urgent care clinics at no cost to the patient when emergency care is not required.

By offering patients alternative treatment pathways, more non-emergency cases can be managed outside hospitals, allowing patients to receive faster, more appropriate care while easing pressure on emergency departments.

Western Australians deserve a government that delivers real solutions to clear the backlog across the entire healthcare system, from GP access and urgent care to emergency response and long-term treatment capacity.

Only a WA Liberal Government will provide the leadership needed to fix Labor’s failures and restore confidence in our health system.