Australian Government Department of Health Statement
08 Mar 2021
08 Mar 2021
Australian Government Department of Health Statement
The Australian Government acknowledges the significant distress that birth trauma may cause and is committed to supporting appropriate maternity care services, including in the pre- and post-natal period.
The agreed national strategy for maternity services, including pre- and post-natal care services, is set out in “Woman-centred care: Strategic directions for Australian maternity services” (‘the Woman-centred Care Strategy’) agreed by the then COAG Health Council in August 2019.
Under this strategy, state and territory governments, together with public and private health services, plan for and provide maternity services to meet the needs of their communities.
The Australian Government supports the provision of maternity services, including pre- and post-natal care services, through:
its funding contribution for public hospital services, including maternity services, in all states and territories under the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA). NHRA funding has grown substantially from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 to $22.6 billion in 2019-20, or by 70 per cent and is projected to continue to grow under the new 2020-25 NHRA to $133.6 billion between 2020-21 and 2024-25. Three quarters of hospital births occur in State-managed public hospitals, and under the Woman-centred Care Strategy public hospitals and community health services should be providing follow-up care in the post-natal period.
subsidies under Medicare for chronic disease management, which may be applicable to post-natal care for birth trauma, and support assessment by general practitioners and up to five sessions of follow-up care by allied health professionals
over $6.6 billion in subsidies for private health insurance to support choice for people to use private health services, including maternity services. Under the Woman-centre Care Strategy, private maternity care providers should be providing follow-up care in the post-natal period.
The Government would urge women who are experiencing birth trauma to talk to their maternity care provider – whether that is their obstetrician, hospital doctor, general practitioner or midwife – about options for follow-up care.