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.
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