Senate Select Committee on Women's Health — hearing of 2 November 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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Senate Select Committee on Women's Health

1 November 2026

Contents updated on 2 Nov 2026

Public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Women's Health gathering evidence on women's healthcare experiences and systemic issues in Australia.

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Senate Select Committee on Women's Health — Public hearing

15:06

Opening statements

15:06

Marielle Smith — opening of hearing and procedural and conduct statements

15:06

Assoc. Prof. Hazel Keedle (Western Sydney University) — opening statement

19:44

Intervenant 5 — clarification on joint opening statement

23:00

Postnatal care, breastfeeding and pelvic health

23:05

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on birth debriefing and complaint pathways

23:05

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on breastfeeding duration and impacts

24:32

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on improving infant feeding support

25:20

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on midwives’ role and training in lactation care

27:00

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on excessive postnatal pain and life impacts

28:45

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on pelvic floor issues and access to physiotherapy

30:01

Question of Senator Belyea on CALD and First Nations mothers’ barriers

31:59

Question of Intervenant 8 on postpartum home visits and policy responses

33:53

Question of Intervenant 11 on public vs private postpartum care and Medicare coverage

37:04

Question of Intervenant 14 on links between physical and emotional recovery and data gaps

40:45

Gidget Foundation Australia and Perinatal Mental Health Australia — Evidence on perinatal mental health

48:20

Opening statements

50:27

Perinatal Mental Health Australia representative — opening statement

50:27

Gidget Foundation Australia representative — opening statement

53:55

Access, referral pathways and stepped-care in perinatal mental health

57:59

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on reaching housebound mothers, telehealth and referral barriers

57:59

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on stepped-care, no-wrong-door models and service mapping

01:04:24

Question of Intervenant 34 on Better Access 10-session limit and post-limit options

01:14:28

Question of Intervenant 34 on GP-only mental health plans and loss of telehealth access

01:17:23

Question of Intervenant 34 on top budget priorities for perinatal mental health reform

01:19:16

Question of Intervenant 34 on waiting times for Gidget House appointments

01:22:04

Question of Intervenant 42 on lived experience leadership and perinatal centres in WA

01:25:10

Senator Marielle Smith — closing thanks to perinatal mental health panel

01:29:31

Senate Select Committee on Women's Health — Public hearing (cont.)

01:29:55

Suspension of hearing

01:29:55

Waminda, Tresillian Family Care Centres and Better Births Illawarra — Evidence on maternity and perinatal care

01:43:45

Opening statements

01:43:45

Senator Marielle Smith — introduction of Waminda, Tresillian and Better Births Illawarra panel

01:43:45

Witness introductions from Tresillian, Better Births Illawarra and Waminda

01:44:52

Dr Alice Dwyer (Tresillian) — opening statement on integrated perinatal mental healthcare

01:45:29

Sharon Settecasse (Better Births Illawarra) — opening statement on continuity of care and postpartum as part of the perinatal journey

01:50:42

Melanie Briggs (Waminda) — opening statement on Birthing on Country and Aboriginal women’s needs

01:54:53

Postpartum "missing middle" and mental health service gaps

01:56:41

Question of Senator Marielle Smith to Tresillian on the postpartum "missing middle"

01:56:41

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on Tresillian's "no wrong door" approach

02:01:43

Birthing on Country models and outcomes for First Nations women

02:06:17

Question of Senator Marielle Smith to Ms Briggs on Birthing on Country models of care

02:06:17

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on outcomes of Birthing on Country care

02:09:20

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on expanding Birthing on Country models and First Nations perinatal mental health tools

02:12:15

Postpartum "missing middle" and mental health service gaps (cont.)

02:15:59

Question of Senator Marielle Smith to Better Births Illawarra on a national postpartum care pathway and Medicare funding

02:15:59

Homebirth access and professional indemnity exemption

02:21:18

Question of Senator Babet on extending the indemnity insurance exemption for homebirth midwives

02:21:18

Access for disadvantaged and CALD families to Tresillian services

02:25:27

Question on overcoming access barriers for disadvantaged and CALD families to Tresillian services

02:25:27

Birthing on Country models and outcomes for First Nations women (cont.)

02:29:07

Question of Senator (Intervenant 14) to Better Births Illawarra and Waminda on barriers to expanding Birthing on Country

02:29:07

Access for disadvantaged and CALD families to Tresillian services (cont.)

02:33:28

Question of Senator (Intervenant 11) to Tresillian on addressing the inverse care law

02:33:28

Karitane — Evidence on postpartum and perinatal care

02:39:57

Opening statements

02:39:57

Senator Marielle Smith — introduction of Karitane representatives

02:39:57

Jane Kohlhoff (Karitane) — opening statement

02:40:36

Integrated postpartum pathways, care navigation and inclusive perinatal support

02:45:21

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on what falls away after birth and the need for continuous care

02:45:21

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on implementing universal proactive postpartum pathways

02:48:24

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on virtual and hybrid postpartum care models

02:50:47

Question of Senator Marielle Smith on Commonwealth policy levers for postpartum care

02:54:30

Question of Senator Pratt on adapting support for neurodivergent and disabled parents

02:56:01

Question of Senator Pratt on family and domestic violence screening and referral pathways

02:57:56

Senate Select Committee on Women's Health — Public hearing (cont.)

03:02:05

Lived experience panel — Women's health, pregnancy and postpartum care

03:02:05

Opening statements

03:02:05

Senator Marielle Smith — introduction and guidance for lived experience panel

03:02:05

Panel members state their preferred names

03:05:39

Abby — breastfeeding difficulties and lack of postnatal support in private care

03:05:58

Senator Marielle Smith — thanks to Abby and invitation to Nadine

03:12:26

Nadine — contrasting traumatic first birth with improved second experience and recommendations

03:12:42

Matt — partner's account of postpartum psychosis and call for better screening and acute care pathways

03:18:54

Nimarta Verma — migrant mother's experience of traumatic birth, lack of support and the "Australian dream"

03:24:57

Second lived experience panel — Postpartum isolation, peer support and community care

03:30:40

Lauren — establishing Mum Walk to address maternal isolation and lack of mothers groups

03:30:40

Lauren Banack — traumatic first postpartum, missed mental health needs and financial pressures

03:36:41

Jessica — prolonged IVF journey, patient safety failures and call for coordinated postpartum care

03:41:59

Innate Collaborative and Australian Breastfeeding Association — Evidence on breastfeeding support and perinatal care

05:00:02

Opening statements

05:00:02

Chair — resumption of hearing and introductions of witnesses

05:00:02

Dr Jennifer Hocking (Australian Breastfeeding Association) — opening statement on breastfeeding support, workforce and data

05:01:13

Professor Burns (Innate Collaborative) — opening statement on breastfeeding models of care, education and enabling environments

05:09:52

Breastfeeding peer support, lactation care specialty and continuity of postnatal support

05:21:12

Question from Senator Marielle Smith to ABA on peer support and gaps in early breastfeeding care

05:21:12

Question from Senator Marielle Smith on recognising lactation care as a health specialty

05:26:05

Question from Senator Marielle Smith on early postnatal drop‑off in care and access to lactation consultants

05:28:23

Question from Senator Marielle Smith on the National Breastfeeding Strategy and breastfeeding data

05:34:36

Question from Senator Payman on infant formula marketing regulation and data gaps

05:38:26

Question from Senator Payman on midwives' breastfeeding education and federal levers

05:41:38

Question on barriers to Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative accreditation

05:43:53

Chair thanks witnesses and closes the session segment

05:46:27

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Senate Select Committee on Women's Health

1 November 2026

Senate Select Committee on Women's Health Mon, 2 Nov 2026 Parliament of Australia

Follow its sittings

15:06 - 16:42

Senator | SA

Marielle Smith

I declare open this public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Women's Health, and I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today and pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.

The committee will be conducting today's hearing in person from Sydney and via teleconference. My name is Senator Marielle Smith. I'm the chair of this committee, and I'm joined today by Senators Whitten, Ruston, Liddle, and Payman. These are public proceedings, being streamed live via the Parliament's website, and a Hansard transcript is being made. I remind all witnesses presenting that in giving evidence to the committee they are protected by parliamentary privilege.

It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee, and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence.

The committee prefers evidence to be given in public, but under the Senate's resolutions, witnesses do have the right to request to be heard in confidence, which we describe as being heard in camera. If you are a witness today and you would like to request to give your evidence in camera, please bring this to the attention of the secretariat staff as soon as possible. If a witness objects to answering a question, the witness should state the ground upon which the objection is taken, and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer, having regard to the ground which is claimed. If the committee determines to insist on an answer, a witness may request that the answer be given in camera. Such a request may of course also be made at any other time.

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