About 300 people packed into the Wee Waa Public School hall on Tuesday evening to fight for the district’s future and vital health service.
“Rural and regional Australia are still the heart blood of Australia – they are critically important for what we achieve and what we contribute to society and therefore not to have medical support, I think is an appalling state of affairs,” Cotton Seed Distributors chief executive officer Dr Ian Taylor told the community meeting.
“We do need doctors; we need an emergency department.”
The district’s significant and expanding contribution to the economy was also highlighted.
“It’s not only to care for people …we are a growing business, the cotton industry is a growing industry, and for us to be able to attract and retain people, there are two things that are
really important – one of those is the medical facilities that exist, and the second one is education,” said Dr Taylor.
The powerhouse Save Our Wee Waa Hospital volunteer group is on a mission to restore services at the town’s hospital and called Tuesday night’s meeting following the release of the Wee Waa Health Service Review on July 11.
SOWWH campaigner Carmel Schwager said the state government report’s recommendations were ‘a blow after months of advocacy’.
“Our community rallied, we held meetings, we gathered more than 12,000 signatures – all calling for the reinstatement of a 24/7 hospital with an on-call doctor in town,” Mrs Schwager said.
About 300 people packed into the Wee Waa Public School hall on Tuesday evening to fight for the district’s future and vital health service.
“Rural and regional Australia are still the heart blood of Australia – they are critically important for what we achieve and what we contribute to society and therefore not to have medical support, I think is an appalling state of affairs,” Cotton Seed Distributors chief executive officer Dr Ian Taylor told the community meeting.
“We do need doctors; we need an emergency department.”
The district’s significant and expanding contribution to the economy was also highlighted.
“It’s not only to care for people …we are a growing business, the cotton industry is a growing industry, and for us to be able to attract and retain people, there are two things that are really important – one of those is the medical facilities that exist, and the second one is education,” said Dr Taylor.
The powerhouse Save Our Wee Waa Hospital volunteer group is on a mission to restore services at the town’s hospital and called Tuesday night’s meeting following the release of the Wee Waa Health Service Review on July 11.
Save Our Wee Waa Hospital campaign volunteer Carmel Schwager with some of the meeting’s speakers, Cotton Seed Distributors chief executive officer Dr Ian Taylor, Shadow Minister for Western NSW Sarah Mitchell and Member of the Legislative Council Scott Barrett.
SOWWH campaigner Carmel Schwager said the state government report’s recommendations were ‘a blow after months of advocacy’.
“Our community rallied, we held meetings, we gathered more than 12,000 signatures – all calling for the reinstatement of a 24/7 hospital with an on-call doctor in town,” Mrs Schwager said.
“This report doesn’t deliver that. An ‘urgent care’ clinic is not the outcome we’ve fought for, and it’s not one we will accept. Our hospital is a mere shadow of what we had in Wee Waa twenty years ago and we will continue the fight.” Since May 2023, the hours of Wee Waa Health Service have been ‘temporarily reduced’, operating from 8am to 5.30pm. Hunter New Hunter New England Health explained at the time it was due to ‘significant challenges securing healthcare staff’. People have been forced to seek healthcare elsewhere such as travelling 40 kilometres to Narrabri.
Mrs Schwager praised residents from across the region for coming out in force on Tuesday night and continuing to show Wee Waa won’t back down.
“The Wee Waa community came to the fore again, it shows just how important a properly functioning hospital is,” said Mrs Schwager.
SOWWH committee gathered residents to go through the Wee Waa Health Service Review and gain feedback to be submitted with an official response to NSW Health. Attendees were also treated to a signature Lions Club barbecue dinner. Dr Taylor was joined on stage by other speakers including Narrabri Shire mayor Darrell Tiemens, Shadow Minister for Western NSW Sarah Mitchell, Member of the Legislative Council Scott Barrett, deputy mayor Brett Dickinson and Cr Ethan Towns.
Attendees were then invited to take part in a question-and-answer session, with locals from healthcare professionals to former patients bravely sharing their stories in front of the media and politicians in a passionate bid to make a difference and get decision-makers to listen.
“I am Donna Phillips and I was an ambo here for 14 years,” said the popular and respected Wee Waa resident and paramedic who explained the challenges of treating and transporting patients long distances. And the extra burden placed on ambulance officers since the reduction in service at Wee Waa.
“I don’t think people realise how hard these ambos have to work, driving from Wee Waa to Narrabri (hospital) for 30 minutes … I don’t think people realise how many minutes it takes for people to save a life or to lose one.
“We’ve got to go to Pilliga, 50 kilometres out there, we’ve got a critically ill patient – where are we going to take them? What are we going to do?
“We’re travelling at night, up to speed, everyone knows how treacherous these roads are, we get there, pick the person up and okay, we can’t take them to Wee Waa, now we’ve got to go to Narrabri – it’s an extra 35 minutes.
“Does anyone know what that’s like to drive under the pump when you’ve got someone critically ill?
“You’ve left someone’s family members at home saying ‘we’re going to do the best we can, we can’t go to our local hospital’.
“We have decent nurses; we’ve got decent nurses that would come back.
“We should be able to have a VMO (Visiting Medical Officer).
“Narrabri and Boggabri also have to pick up the slack.
“I don’t think it’s good enough for our community, and I don’t think the politicians would stand for it if it was in their own.
“Maybe they should come for a trip with us.”
Erin Lowder was courageous in sharing her own emergency medical experience but did so because she wants Wee Waa to continue to be a good and safe place to live with access to quality services.
“I’m only here because of our local ambulance service,” Erin said. “Sorry, I still find it emotional to talk about.
“I want to be able to live in my own community and have confidence in the services available to me.
“If they (HNELHD) keep taking services away from us … how do they justify taking those services away but not giving anything back to us or providing alternatives?
“They’ve not increased our ambulance service or provided more beds at Narrabri Hospital to make up for the ones that they’ve taken away here,” she added.
Save Our Wee Waa Hospital campaign volunteers Darrell Tiemens, Richard Schwager, Roxanne Whitton and Ethan Towns.
Cr Ethan Towns also raised concerns about attracting young people and families to the region, an issue that he has highlighted at previous rallies explaining there are three primary schools in Wee Waa, two secondary schools, and schools in surrounding villages but not a hospital that’s open 24/7 with an assigned VMO.
“I know a lot of families, particularly in my age bracket where the children have had medical issues … they’re scared and it’s not fair that they have to travel such long distances,” said Cr Towns.
“And we have a massive indigenous population, and we know firsthand from medical records that a lot of indigenous people are more exposed to extreme health risks, and we’re in a town without a doctor, it’s simply not fair.”
Cr Darrell Tiemens has been a driving force behind the SOWWH campaign and NSC said the review’s recommendations ‘fall short of what the Wee Waa community needs and expects’.
“We are here for one reason – because we care,” Cr Tiemens told the community meeting.
“We care about our town, our people, and the future of our hospital. And we are not alone. Over 12,000 people signed a petition to the NSW Parliament to demand a full restoration of services at Wee Waa Hospital – 24/7 emergency care, inpatient beds, and a doctor on site.
“This meeting tonight is about keeping that fight alive. It is about staying informed, staying united, and making sure that those in power know we will not be brushed aside.
“We are here to talk openly and honestly about the recent review into our hospital – what it says, what it does not say, and what we, as a community, expect to happen next.
“Let me begin by acknowledging a few people. First, to the staff at Wee Waa Hospital – thank you. You have worked through enormous pressure. You have turned up when the system has let you down. You’ve kept caring for this community despite the challenges, and we see you.
“I also want to thank our new hospital services manager, Julie Kirk, who has stepped into a complex role with professionalism and commitment. Julie, we appreciate your efforts and your willingness to engage with this community.
“And to the volunteers – to the Save Wee Waa Hospital Committee, to everyone who knocked on doors, collected signatures, and shared their stories – thank you. You’ve shown what can be achieved when a small town stands together with one voice.
“Now, let’s talk about that voice – and what it asked for.
“The petition to parliament was clear. It called for 24-hour operation to be restored. It called for emergency services to be reinstated. It called for inpatient beds – for general medicine, palliative care, rehabilitation, and respite. And it called for an onsite doctor, not a virtual stand-in on a video screen.
“The review that followed has now been released. And while it acknowledges some of the problems – poor communication, leadership instability, workforce challenges – it falls short where it matters most.
“The review recommends what they call an “Urgent Care Model.” It sounds good. But here’s the truth: it is a nurse-led model, with virtual support, limited beds, and no guarantee of 24/7 doctor coverage. That’s not emergency care. That’s a rebrand of limited services, and it is not what we asked for.
“We live in a town surrounded by farms, by dirt roads, by long distances. We are 40 kilometres from Narrabri. The roads are often flooded. Over two hours from Tamworth. We do not have taxis. We do not have regular public transport. We need services here, not just promises that someone else might be available somewhere else.
“People in this town are reasonable. We’re not asking for a trauma centre or a city hospital. We are asking for basic, fair, reliable care. To know that if your child is sick at night, if your neighbour has a fall, if someone has a heart attack, or a farm worker breaks an arm – there is somewhere to go and someone to help. Not just between 8am and 5:30pm. Always.
“So tonight, we are going to walk through the Review together. We are going to talk about what it proposes, where it falls short, and how we make our voices heard in the next stage – the implementation plan.
“Because this is not over. The Review is not the end of the story – it is the next chapter. And we will make sure the next chapter reflects our priorities, our safety, and our expectations.
“To those in government and in the health district, hear this clearly: an urgent care clinic is not the answer. It may play a role, but not as a replacement for a real hospital service. The people of Wee Waa have waited long enough, and we will not settle for a second-rate model dressed up in new language.
“This hospital was built by this community, for this community. And it must serve this community – now and into the future.
“Let us continue this meeting the way we’ve approached this whole fight – respectfully, clearly, and with the strength that comes from being united.”
Attendees at Tuesday night’s meeting gave healthcare professionals, highlighting the ambulance officers, a round of applause and unanimously voted in favour of a resolution:
“This meeting of residents and supporters of the Wee Waa community.
1. Reaffirms its strong support for the restoration of 24/7 hospital services in Wee Waa, including an emergency department with an on-site doctor, and in return of inpatient beds for general, palliative, and respite care;
2. Notes that the Urgent Care Model proposed in the recent Health service Review does not meet the community’s expectations or emergency needs;
3. Calls on the NSW Minister for Health, the chief executive officer of Hunter New England Health, and the Member for Barwon to ensure the upcoming implementation plan: includes the return of a fully functioning 24-hour emergency service at Wee Waa Hospital, guarantees on-site medical staffing, not just virtual support, reinstates appropriate inpatient capacity, including palliative care, is developed in full consultation with the local community and health committee.
Shadow Minister for Western NSW Sarah Mitchell and Member of the Legislative Council Scott Barrett told the community meeting that they would continue to advocate for the Save Our Wee Waa Hospital campaign in NSW Parliament.
“Some issues we’ve just got to leave the politics at the door and do what’s right,” said Sarah Mitchell.
“I will say I do think that Ryan Park, the Health Minister, is a really lovely fellow. He is very decent, he’s open to being engaged with over issues. He’s the kind of minister you can go and knock on his door, and we’re happy to do that, along with your local representatives here to do what we can to get your services back to where they need to be.
“When I came here today, I thought – just imagine for a minute that we were having this community meeting in Kogarah (Sydney), which is in the Premier’s electorate, imagine that their hospital wasn’t open 24 hours a day, that there was no doctor that was available to the community, and it’s actually pretty hard to imagine, cause it wouldn’t happen, it just wouldn’t.
“And so that’s why we’ve got to fight for what you need here in Wee Waa … to make sure that you get the health services that you need and that you deserve.”
“Far too often, more and more rural communities seem to be getting forgotten or ignored when it comes to these decisions,” added Scott Barrett MLC. “Thank you for coming out and having your voices heard. Thank you for bringing this up time and time again and to the committee … Thank you and congratulations, let’s keep up this fight.”
Regional Health Minister Ryan Park’s office said he was unable to attend Tuesday night’s meeting due to a prior commitment, with NSW government’s Community Cabinet being held in Tweed Heads on Wednesday.
In a statement to The Courier/Wee Waa News Mr Park said, “I want to reassure the people of Wee Waa: this review is not the end of the conversation. It’s a step forward, and we will keep listening.
I’ve heard the feedback from the community and Member for Barwon Roy Butler loud and clear. Local voices must remain central as we shape the future of healthcare in Wee Waa.
“The new local health committee will play a key role in shaping how care is delivered, and I encourage anyone with a passion for improving health outcomes to be at the table to help drive that change.”
Mr Park said he looked forward to continue ‘working with Roy and the Wee Waa community to keep pushing to deliver the health services this community needs and deserves’.
Representatives from Member for Barwon Roy Butler’s office attended the community meeting but Mr Butler was not able to be there.
“I was unable to attend the mayor’s meeting due to prior commitments,” Mr Butler told the The Courier/Wee Waa News.
“Many of your readers are aware that Barwon covers 45 per cent of the state, which means I’m in the car a lot with a very tight calendar.
“As I told the mayor, I welcome the opportunity to receive any additional feedback from the community about the return to full services at Wee Waa Health Service.”
Mr Butler said, “The Independent Review made a range of recommendations to address poor leadership and a lack of career opportunities that make it tough to recruit nurses to Wee Waa.
“Those recommendations are being fed into the Implementation Plan, which is being developed now.
“The NSW Health Minister has told me that he won’t sign off on the Implementation Plan until I am happy with it.
“I won’t be agreeing to the Implementation Plan unless it commits to a return to 24-hour operations, access to both doctors and nurses in person, and no loss of emergency care.
“I discussed these commitments with the local mayor and the Save Wee Waa Hospital group when we met to discuss the Independent Review on July 11.
“I would like to invite all community members to a public meeting in Wee Waa at 5:30pm on August 25 to learn about the Implementation Plan.
“You will be able to hear directly from Hunter New England Health CEO Tracey McCosker and NSW Health Deputy Secretary Luke Sloane. I’m looking forward to sharing the plan with the community and hearing your feedback.
“Wee Waa Health Service has been running at reduced capacity for many, many years now.
“I’m really glad that we’re getting closer to a solution that will turn that around.”
