WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam joins Albany candidate Dr Tom Brough in discussing abortion laws, funding

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam has fronted her first presser with Albany candidate Dr Tom Brough, speaking to reporters outside Albany Health Campus on Saturday to spruik their promise to expand the hospital. But the controversial candidate’s comments on supporting a review of WA’s abortion laws overshadowed the election announcement. Dr Brough said he believed WA abortion laws should be reviewed “because babies born alive should not be left to die”. It was the candidate’s first time fronting a press conference with the Liberal leader, who said nothing after Dr Brough repeated the phrase a second time when asked to clarify his comment. The pair had appeared outside the Great Southern’s main hospital to promote the party’s $5 million election commitment for a business case to expand and undertake critical upgrades. “We need more than band aid solutions for healthcare across Western Australia — we need a real and clear commitment to expand health services for the next generation, for the next 100 years,” Ms Mettam said. Dr Brough, who is on leave from his role as an emergency doctor at Albany Health Campus, said the hospital is “bursting at the seams” and “staff are struggling” as population growth outpaces the hospital’s capacity. “When you’re caring for people in corridors in an emergency department, that means the emergency department isn’t big enough. When you’re struggling to get surgeons to do their operations, because there are not enough operating theatres, that’s why you need a business case for it,” he said. WA Labor has also promised to expand the hospital, committing to build a $60m modular ward at AHC with an extra 30 beds by early 2027. The promise comes two years after the WA Labor government knocked back the business case for the $320m two-stage redevelopment of the hospital in the 2023-24 State Budget. Speaking at a press conference in Kalamunda, Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the party had made “a major commitment” to Albany. “We’ve committed $60 million to almost double the capacity of the Albany hospital,” she said. “That’s our commitment that’s out there.” In the wide-ranging press conference, Mr Brough also confirmed he had declined the ABC’s requests for interviews because “they’re not prepared to give anyone other than the left side of politics a fair go”. He also declined to answer questions on his referral to the medical watchdog for alleged professional misconduct. “It’s completely inappropriate that this (referral) is in the public forum,” he said. “This is a confidential matter, and I’m totally happy to let the process occur, and I’ll let the facts speak for themselves.”