Liberal leader Libby Mettam makes health pledge, insists she can be premier and health minister at same time

Another child health pledge by Libby Mettam has been derailed by questions over the Liberal leader’s plan to be both premier and health minister if she wins the March 8 State election. Premier Roger Cook called the idea “fanciful” but Ms Mettam doubled down on Monday. “It’s a bit rich coming from the Premier who begged Mark McGowan to be able to step aside from the health portfolio,” she said. “This is a Premier who does not care or prioritise health. “It is certainly a priority of a government that I would lead and that is why I am committed not only as a future premier but also as a future health minister.” But Ms Mettam could not explain how she would divide her workload. “Well, they are obviously both priorities,” she said. Mr McGowan was both premier and treasurer for two years but Mr Cook said the health portfolio was different. “I know that you need to be 100 per cent focused on the portfolio,” he said. “The idea that you can lead the State and lead a complex health system like the WA health system is, quite frankly, fanciful. “This is the clearest indication yet that the WA Liberals do not have the experience and they have not done the work and that they are not fit for government.” Asked whether she planned to appoint an assistant minister, Ms Mettam said “we’re not going into that”. She would not be drawn on whether her shadow ministers would continue to carry dual roles if they won government. “My focus is on delivering a better government for Western Australia,” she said. “My focus is on outlining our plan for a better future for WA . . . we are not entering into hypotheticals at this point.” On Tuesday, Ms Mettam pledged $33.6 million for Ngala in Kensington to expand its residential parenting service for mothers and babies and provide universal, free access to it — if she becomes premier. Ngala chief executive Michelle Dillon said demand for the service had soared in recent years. “We have about 10,000 calls per year to our parenting line and we’re not able to support them with a residential stay unless they have private health insurance,” she said. “We have 11 beds that we could open up with funding for seven days a week, so we could see over 1000 families extra.” Shadow community services minister Donna Faragher said early care was crucial for parents and their child’s development. Liberal South Perth candidate Bronwyn Waugh linked the announcement to her experience in court as a lawyer. “I often hear and could attribute a lot of the offending behaviour to early years trauma,” she said. “So fixing early attachment, fixing families, early intervention right from day one is a significant step. I feel like it’s well overdue.”