News
Welcome to the new Minister for Health and other health appointments
Tuesday March 18, 2025
The AMA (WA) congratulates Hon Meredith Hammat MLA on her appointment as Minister for Health and Mental Health, following the Cabinet announcement by Premier Roger Cook. We wish her well in the challenging portfolio and thank outgoing Minister Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson MLA for her service to health, wishing her well in her new Cabinet role.
We also congratulate Hon Stephen Dawson MLC on his appointment as Minister for Regional Development, Ports, Science and Innovation, and Medical Research. Mr Dawson will continue to oversee the Medical Research portfolio.
The Premier has introduced new portfolios of Preventative Health, Health Infrastructure, and Aged Care and Seniors, articulating a clear agenda for health with the new appointments. The AMA (WA) congratulates:
- Hon Sabine Winton MLA – Minister for Education, Early Childhood, Preventative Health, Wheatbelt;
- Hon John Carey MLA – Minister for Planning and Lands, Housing and Works, Health Infrastructure; and
- Hon Simone McGurk MLA – Minister for Creative Industries, Heritage, Industrial Relations, Aged Care and Seniors, Women.
We also acknowledge the new parliamentary secretaries supporting key health-related portfolios:
- Hon Pierre Yang MLC – Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Meredith Hammat;
- Dr Katrina Stratton MLA – Parliamentary Secretary to Minister John Carey;
- Cassie Rowe MLA – Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Simone McGurk; and
- Lisa O’Malley MLA – Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Stephen Dawson.
A new approach to health in WA
Premier Cook has stated that the creation of these new portfolios aims to reduce demand on hospitals in the long term, with Aged Care and Seniors working in alignment with the Commonwealth to deliver more aged care places and free up hospital beds.
AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Page welcomed this approach, reinforcing the AMA (WA)’s long-standing advocacy for better health infrastructure, increased hospital capacity, and system-wide improvements to support doctors and improve patient outcomes.
“Reducing demand on our hospitals results in reducing the stress on our overworked doctors, and therefore makes our hospital system more productive, and improves health outcomes for the people of Western Australia.”
Dr Page also reiterated the AMA (WA)’s commitment to working with the Government:
“We have been consistent in our messaging to the Government that health infrastructure needs to be upgraded to cope with greater population and complex demand, and hospital beds added to the system. We look forward to working with these ministers in their newly created portfolios.”
The AMA (WA) outlined its Priorities for health during the election campaign, and will continue to push for meaningful reforms that should also align with the Government’s own health agenda.
“We expect that the various ministers with responsibility for different aspects of the health system will work constructively together. Overall leadership and responsibility should rest with the Minister for Health, but the Premier will be accountable if this new arrangement doesn’t deliver for Western Australian patients,” Dr Page said.
