How will you address healthcare pressures for Illawarra residents?

Here's how they responded, seat by seat.

Lee Evans (Liberal): The health and safety of locals in the Heathcote area will always be a priority. The Perrottet Liberal Team has committed to two major projects within the Illawarra-Shoalhaven LHD:

In June 2022, we also announced the largest ever health workforce boost in the nation's history, with a $4.5 billion investment over four years to recruit 10,148 full-time equivalent staff to hospitals and health services across the state.

The staffing boost is intended to relieve pressure on existing staff, fast-track more elective surgery, and ensure there are appropriate levels of health staffing for the government's pipeline of health infrastructure projects.

Cooper Riach (The Greens): While many of our politicians have told us throughout the COVID19 pandemic that our hospitals were coping with the strain, our healthcare workers were telling us the opposite. Paramedics are leaving in droves, many retiring far earlier than they otherwise would. Huge numbers of nurses are on antidepressants just to get through their workdays. Midwives are working part-time because they just can't handle full-time work in such a stressful environment. All but one of my trained nurse friends have decided to stay in the sector, it is simply too much stress for the pay they receive. While entirely understandable responses, all of these factors exacerbate the staff shortages we see in our hospitals.

If we want to turn around the state of our public hospitals, we need to start looking after our healthcare workers better. In the balance of power, the Greens will advocate for nurses, midwives and paramedics to get a 15 percent wage increase plus an annual increase of two percent above inflation. We will legislate nurse-to-patient ratios in our public hospitals in line with the demands of the NSW Nurse and Midwives Association. To help nursing, midwifery and paramedicine students get through their degree, we will pay them a wage while on work placement instead of demanding that they do unpaid work for three months (this presents a significant financial barrier to the many students who work while studying to support themselves). We will establish a regulatory body to help retain staff, protect workers from occupational violence, and ensure that they aren't working excessive and unsafe hours.

Part of the reason that our hospitals are so stretched is that many people go to the hospital because they have nowhere else to go. This is hardly surprising in the middle of a cost of living crunch when many GPs have stopped bulk-billing.

For full details on Greens health policy, please see the website: https://greens.org.au/nsw/healthcare2023

Paul Scully MP (Labor): NSW Labor has outlined a plan to invest in the region's health and hospital system for now and for its future.

To help recruit and retain more health staff a Minns Labor Government would lift the wages cap, introduce mandated and enforceable safe staffing levels starting in emergency, and introduce scholarships for thousands of nurses, doctors, paramedics, and allied health workers each year to staff our hospitals.

A NSW Labor Government would provide $22 million to improve patient treatment at Wollongong Hospital - $12 million for its future redevelopment to address the population growth it's facing; $7.85 million to purchase a new CT scanner and MRI machine; and $2 million to improve radiation treatment services for cancer patients.

We will build a new Community Health Centre at Warrawong, new ambulance station at Fairy Meadow, the new Shellharbour Hospital at Dunmore, and Bulli Hospital's Urgent Care Clinic will be extended to 7-days a week - taking pressure off the Wollongong Hospital ED.

Over the last 12 years the elective surgery waiting list at Wollongong Hospital has doubled to nearly 2900 people as at the end of last year. Labor's Surgical Care Taskforce will tackle the elective surgery waiting list with the aim to make sure patients are seen within the clinically recommended time.

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Cath Blakey (The Greens): As a Greens MP for Wollongong I will push the NSW parliament to introduce enforceable nurse to patient ratios so that shift by shift there are sufficient nurses and midwives available to care for patients. After 12 days in the Wollongong Hospital maternity unit in 2018 I know how vital nurse to patient ratios are to see that patients have adequate care. Now there are reports of only 1 midwife for 15 patients, and that's not even including the babies! Patient care is suffering and nurses are burning out. I have pledged my support to the Nurses and Midwives Association Award Claim that includes 1 nurse for 3 patients in ED and 1 to 4 on a ward and 1 to 3 in maternity. In the Regional, Rural and Remote Health Inquiry in May 2022, Liberal and Labor MPs voted together against the inclusion of a recommendation calling for the implementation of nurse to patient ratios. On 25th March we need to see parliamentary seats change so that legislated nurse to patient ratios can be passed - the Greens will be pushing whomever forms government to legislate ratios.

I'm also pushing for the next NSW government to lift the public sector wage cap that was introduced by the Liberals in 2011. NSW has the most poorly-paid paramedics in Australia, and it's not uncommon for highly skilled health workers to work part-time in retail because they get paid more there. We are pushing for a 15% payrise for nurses, midwives and paramedics. A payrise will help boost staff retention and entice qualified staff back to the sector. Paid placements for nursing, midwifery and paramedical students is also part of our Greens plan to attract new public health workers, by reducing a significant cost of living pressure.

As your Greens MP I'll be pushing for the establishment of public community health centres where medical staff are directly employed by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District to provide fee-free access to GPs, allied health professionals, dentists or mental health professionals.

By improving hospital care, GP access and preventative health initiatives the Greens will help end bed block so paramedics can be where they are needed instead of waiting in queues. The Greens health care plan includes increasing the number of paramedics employed in regional NSW, expanding the Intensive Care and Extended Care Paramedics programs and introducing a 24/7 patient transport service which would decrease delays to patient care and free up ambulances for emergencies. Ambulance and patient transport services should be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to patients, but under the Liberals the ambulance fee has grown to a minimum cost of $327 up to a maximum of $6,668.

Read The Greens plan to rescue our public health system: https://greens.org.au/nsw/healthcare2023

Kit Docker (The Greens): Speaking to many healthcare professionals across the Illawarra, it's clear that many are having to face dangerous and unsustainable working conditions. What is most disappointing is that these pressures are completely avoidable.

Supporting the essential workers in our public hospitals will be an absolute priority for me if elected. I will work with my fellow Greens crossbenchers to push whichever party forms government to back the NSW Nurse and Midwives Association 2022 award claim in full.

In addition to backing mandated nurse to patient ratios, we will be looking to scrap the public sector wage cap and provide nurses, midwives and paramedics with an immediate 15% pay rise. This pay rise will be vital in retaining and attracting the workforce needed to support our healthcare system.

Too many people across the Illawarra cannot afford to pay for a visit to a GP and the recent reduction of bulk billing practices is already having serious impacts on many families. We know that prevention is more effective and less costly than intervention, which is why I will fight to establish public primary care clinics in our region. This will provide the community with access to GP's and other allied health professionals at no costs.

Finally, we need to think big and bold when it comes to mental health. Mental health services have costs that are too high and waiting lists that are too long. I will fight to establish free, publicly-owned and community-managed mental health services across the Illawarra.

Ryan Park MP (Labor): As the Shadow Minister for Health and the Shadow Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast I am passionate about ensuring our local hospitals and health care facilities are well resourced.

Labor has made a number of announcements that will deliver on improved health care for local residents. A Minns Labor Government will deliver on $21 million of upgrades to Wollongong Hospital including planning and design work for a future redevelopment of the hospital, a new CT scanner and MRI and improved technology for radiation treatment for cancer patients. We will return the Bulli Urgent Care Centre to being open 7 days a week.

The people who look after us need more support. There is widespread burnout, fatigue and under-resourcing in our hospitals. That is why under Labor, our local hospitals will see additional staff recruited for our safe staffing commitment. That means we will rollout a staffing system that will see every Emergency Department having 1 nurse to 3 patients and 1 nurse to 4 patients in the general wards.

Across the Illawarra there are more than 6,500 people sitting on the elective surgery waiting list, with nearly 1,000 of those waiting longer than clinically recommended. Elective surgery is essential to ensuring people are able to go about their everyday life. A Minns Labor Government will form a Surgical Care Taskforce who will be focussed on tackling the elective surgery waiting list.

Only Labor has a fresh start for health and hospitals in the Illawarra.

Anna Watson (Labor): No matter where we visit, you have told us that when someone you love is injured or sick, you want them to have the very best healthcare as soon as possible and close to home. But right now, our healthcare system is in crisis.

We need more than Band-Aid solutions. We need a Fresh Start Plan for better healthcare.

Read more Labor's Fresh Start plan for healthcare here

Jamie Dixon (The Greens): The Greens see the solution to our local healthcare woes in rebuilding the fractured work environment of our front line workers. We need to respect, recruit, resource and retain the highly skilled people currently in, or close to the sector. Becoming a nurse, midwife or paramedic takes years of study, and the years of experience on wards is impossible to replace.

The Greens will abolish the public sector wage cap, and give all nurses, midwives and paramedics an immediate 15 per cent wage increase, and appropriate indexing into the future. We will see the Health Services Amendment introduced to parliament last November seen through, to mandate nurse to patient ratios in line with the levels advised by the NSWNMA.

Our state needs to show the same levels of respect and remuneration as other states, not only because it reflects the hard work and dedication shown by our health sector, but to prevent the growing drain of experienced staff to other states and other sectors.

We also need to invest significantly in preventative healthcare that is accessible to everyone. This includes establishing community health centres so that people can see a GP or other health professional for free, when they need advice and support, to prevent the current level of presentations to Emergency Departments. Amongst our other allied health initiatives is the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, to reduce the current over-medication of many ailments, and to transition patients away from opioids.

Tonia Gray (The Greens): Your health shouldn't depend on your postcode. The pressures on doctors, nurses and patients undermine health outcomes such as inadequate nurse to patient ratios.

As a Greens candidate I we hear stories from frontline health workers of a broken healthcare system where people's health problems aren't being addressed. They see people who need services urgently but have to wait up to eight weeks to access specialists. The healthcare system is in such chaos these people often inappropriately end up in understaffed and stressed emergency departments in public hospitals.

We need urgent healthcare reform and incentives to bring nurses back into the profession. We don't need to train more nurses, we can invite them back through better pay and conditions. Additionally, the Illawarra and NSW needs to implement safe staffing ratios like in Victoria and Queensland.

GP wait times are making the mental health crisis worse, with patient's inner turmoil often unresolved for too long and putting them at risk. It is unconscionable.

The Greens will rescue our public hospitals by:

Moreover, The Greens will:

Katelin McInerney (Labor): I am proud of Labor's plan to help ease cost of living pressure in our region by taking $250 directly off electricity bills for NSW families that have been hit the hardest by rising energy prices, and $315 for eligible small businesses.

This cost of living relief will happen automatically and means that already over-stretched families and businesses won't have to go through any unnecessary application processes - these savings will come directly off your energy bill.

NSW Labor will also institute constitutional protections to prevent the sale of Sydney Water. The NSW Liberals obsession with privatisation has already resulted in higher electricity prices and if Dominic Perrottet and Matt Kean sell off Sydney Water, Kiama household water bills could surge by $264 each year - or 59 per cent.

The Sustainable Australia Party provided the following answer on behalf of its candidates in all electorates:

Australia and NSW need an innovative and universal healthcare system. We need greater funding to invest in the Illawarra region, from GP clinics to our hospitals. Importantly, we also need to aim to stabilise Australia's population size so that growth in the area of Wollongong and its surrounds does not continue to outstrip our available health services.