The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing commends WA Labor’s $14 million election commitment for essential Women’s Community Health Centres across Western Australia, and the additional $3 million investment in critical health services for women. This welcome commitment will help safeguard essential healthcare and support services for women in their local communities.
From childhood to old age, women experience health, illness, and healthcare differently to men. Women comprise half of Australia’s population, but their burden of poor health is disproportionate. Women have higher levels of chronic disease and poorer mental health linked to sexism, violence and lower incomes. Better outcomes in women’s health and wellbeing have benefits for individuals and their families, and for the broader community.
Women’s Community Health Centres provide critical support for tens of thousands of Western Australian women every year. For more than 40 years, these centres have provided essential health care services every day through a holistic model that goes beyond the limitations of traditional healthcare by providing trauma-informed primary care, reproductive and sexual health care, mental health support, legal advice and education.
Demand for support from the Women’s Community Health Centres grows each year due to an expanding population, increasing rates and complexity of family, domestic and sexual violence and mental ill-health, and wider health system capacity constraints. The announcement today will ensure the sustainability of these centres so women in Western Australia have better access to the care they need.
Dr Alison Evans, CEO of the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing, states:
“Many factors – biological, social, cultural, environmental and economic – can affect women’s health status, their need for health services and their ability to access appropriate services.”
“Women’s community health centres provide vital support to women for reproductive and sexual health, mental health, perinatal care, and for those whose health has been impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.”
“We thank WA Labor for recognising the critical role that women’s community health centres play in our communities. These services are a lifeline for many women, particularly those facing disadvantage and challenges such as financial hardship, cultural and linguistic barriers, and experiences of trauma.”
“WA Labor’s investment reinforces a commitment to women’s health and safety, supporting a stronger, more equitable healthcare system that will deliver lasting benefits to women and families across Western Australia.”
