Labor and the Coalition have sought to shut down a debate on abortion ahead of the next election both ruling out any changes to policy. An ABC investigation has found growing evidence that women seeking abortions are being turned away from publicly funded hospitals.
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00:00Abortion has been decriminalised across the country, but the debate's been revived, this
00:10time around access and availability.
00:13There is absolutely no plan, no plan to have abortions banned at our hospitals.
00:20This hospital was providing surgical terminations, then turned a woman away on the day of her
00:27procedure.
00:28Two days later, an email sent on behalf of Queenbeyan Hospital confirmed the service
00:32had been scrapped.
00:34This procedure does not currently sit within Queenbeyan Hospital's delineation, the email
00:39read.
00:40It was a particular procedure that they weren't comfortable in carrying out at that particular
00:45facility.
00:46Now, I'm having a look at that to see why that was the case.
00:50It follows a similar case at Orange Hospital, where the Health Minister was forced to intervene
00:55last week to restore abortion services.
00:58With a federal election due within months, the Greens want the issue on the agenda.
01:03Only about half of public hospitals have the facilities and the personnel to provide this
01:08basic healthcare, and that's where the federal government could come in.
01:11The Health Ministers ruled out a federal intervention, refusing to revive Labor's 2019 policy of
01:18tying Commonwealth public hospital funding to abortion access.
01:23That's not our policy and I don't have any intention to revisit it.
01:27State and territories are responsible for the operation of their hospital systems.
01:32Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton agrees it's an issue for the states.
01:36If Labor chooses to use the issue of abortion at the next election, people know that it
01:41is probably the cheapest, most crass political effort in our recent history.
01:46Both major parties have ruled out any changes to abortion policy.
01:50Peter Dutton's warned his colleagues to avoid the issue, worried it will cost votes.
01:55As the Queensland election showed, any talk of winding back rights can suck the oxygen
02:00out of a campaign, which the Coalition wants to fight on cost of living.