Shadow Minister for Aged Care Bevan Eatts MLA says a damning new report from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has exposed the human cost of Western Australia’s aged care and hospital capacity crisis, with older Australians waiting longer for care as pressure across the system escalates.

ACEM’s latest State of Emergency report found only 54 per cent of older emergency department patients were admitted to a hospital bed within eight hours in 2023-24, down from 75 per cent five years earlier, while the number waiting more than 24 hours surged from 15,084 to 53,510.

“These shocking findings reinforce concerns that older Western Australians are being left waiting longer for the care they need in a health system struggling to keep pace with demand,” Mr Eatts said.

“Behind every statistic is an older Western Australian waiting longer for care as aged care pressures continue to spill into our hospitals and emergency departments. The WA Labor Health Minister can keep blaming Canberra, but shifting responsibility will not free up beds, reduce waiting times or deliver better care for older Western Australians.”

Mr Eatts said the report specifically identified responsibilities for both State and Federal Governments, including improving integration between hospitals and aged care services, increasing capacity and strengthening support for older Australians.

“The Commonwealth clearly has a major responsibility for aged care, but the State Labor Government cannot simply wash its hands of the problem while older patients remain stranded in hospital beds waiting for appropriate care.

“When older Western Australians cannot access the care they need, the consequences are felt right across the health system, increasing pressure on hospitals and emergency departments. Families do not care which level of government is responsible. They simply want their loved ones to receive timely, dignified care.”

Mr Eatts also pointed to Commonwealth data showing Western Australia continues to lag behind the nation in residential respite care provision.

In 2024-25, WA recorded 150,096 residential respite days, averaging 7.4 days per operational aged care place, compared with 13.3 days nationally.

“With National Carers Week under way, these figures raise serious questions about whether carers and families are getting the support they need to keep loved ones at home.

“The ACEM report is another warning that governments cannot continue treating aged care, hospitals and community support as separate challenges.

“Older Western Australians deserve a coordinated plan that expands aged care capacity, supports carers and eases pressure on our hospitals, not an ongoing blame game while the system continues to deteriorate.”

Nationals WA MP Rob Horstman MLC has called on the Cook Labor Government to account for vacant government-owned homes across the Goldfields and provide clear timelines for promised housing projects, saying communities need results, not more announcements.

Mr Horstman said housing shortages were placing enormous pressure on Goldfields families, businesses and essential services, yet government-owned properties continued to sit vacant.

“The Goldfields is at the sharp end of Western Australia’s housing crisis, and the consequences are being felt right across our communities,” Mr Horstman said.

“Families are struggling to find somewhere to live, businesses are finding it harder to attract workers, and essential services are competing for accommodation.”

Answers to parliamentary questions lodged by Mr Horstman revealed 107 vacant public housing properties in Kalgoorlie-Boulder as at 30 June 2026, with further vacancies recorded in Laverton and Leonora.

“With more than 21,000 Western Australians waiting for public housing, every viable government-owned home sitting empty deserves scrutiny,” he said.

“Some properties will require repairs or redevelopment, but the Government needs to explain how many can be returned to use, what is holding that up and how long it will take.

“Every home that can be safely repaired and reoccupied is another opportunity to ease pressure on the housing market.”

Mr Horstman also questioned progress on the Government’s commitment to deliver 113 homes for frontline government workers in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

“We welcome investment in housing for frontline workers, but an announcement is not the same as a completed home,” he said.

“How many of those 113 homes are under construction? How many have been completed? And when will the teachers, police officers and healthcare workers who need them actually receive the keys? When essential workers cannot find accommodation, schools, hospitals, businesses and the broader community all pay the price.”

Mr Horstman said the Government needed to provide a transparent account of its vacant housing stock and progress against its regional housing commitments.

“People in the Goldfields aren’t asking for another housing announcement. They want to know when homes will be ready and when people can move in.

“In the middle of a housing crisis, success should be measured by homes occupied, not announcements made.”

Nationals WA MLC Julie Freeman has called on the Cook Labor Government to commit funding and a delivery timeline for a new police station in Onslow, after finding that Police officers have been forced to operate from temporary mobile facilities fashioned from small sea containers, following the closure of the town’s ageing station.

The Onslow Police Station, built in 1980, had long been the subject of community concern before it was damaged by Cyclone Narelle earlier this year and subsequently deemed unsafe.

Ms Freeman said the situation was unacceptable for a strategically important and isolated regional community.

“Police officers and the people of Onslow have waited long enough for a safe, modern police station,” she said.

“They deserve better than working from temporary facilities because concerns about the condition of the existing station were not addressed before it reached this point.

“This community, local residents and the Shire of Ashburton have been raising concerns for years. Cyclone Narelle may have been the final blow, but the need for a replacement was well known long before then.”

Ms Freeman said Onslow’s situation highlighted the need for greater investment in police infrastructure across regional Western Australia.

“Regional police officers are on the frontline of keeping communities safe, often in some of the most challenging and isolated parts of the State, yet too many are working from ageing facilities that are no longer fit for modern policing,” she said.

“In communities vulnerable to cyclones, flooding and other natural disasters, resilient emergency services infrastructure is not a luxury, it is essential. When roads are cut and towns become isolated, police and emergency services must be able to operate from facilities that are safe, reliable and capable of supporting emergency responses.

“The Cook Labor Government needs to provide the Onslow community with certainty by committing funding and a clear timeframe for a permanent replacement. The community has waited long enough.”