WOMEN, midwives and families will gather at the Jetty Foreshore in Coffs Harbour on Saturday, 21 November at 10.30am, as part of a National Day of Rallies to call on the federal government to act before women lose access to homebirth with a private midwife.
The insurance exemption that allows private midwives to attend homebirths ends on 31 December, 2026.
Australia introduced national registration requirements for health practitioners in 2010 and midwives were generally required to have professional indemnity insurance.
However, insurers were unwilling to provide suitable insurance for privately practising midwives attending home births.
Rather than effectively preventing private midwives from attending home births, the government introduced a transitional exemption under section 284 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.
This allowed qualifying midwives to attend home births without insurance covering the actual delivery.
It did not exempt them from insurance requirements for antenatal and postnatal care.
When the insurance exemption ends, most second midwives won’t be able to get insurance and, without a second midwife, homebirth with a private midwife stops being an option for women across Australia.
This could have significant consequences for the availability of planned homebirth services and the choices available to Australian women and families, particularly in regional areas.
Local midwife Bec Gilby, founder of Wilderness Yoga and Wilderness Women’s Wellness Clinic, said that a birthing choice that only exists on paper was not a choice at all.
“Demanding identical, cost-prohibitive insurance for a second midwife ignores the reality of our workforce,” Ms Gilby said.
“It actively reduces safe options for mothers.
“We should be protecting reproductive autonomy; choice for women needs to be expanded, not diminished.”
Local Emerald Beach mother of 6, Nikki Read said protest was the only option when all other avenues had failed.
“You don’t have to choose homebirth to defend the right to,” Ms Read said.
“This is about every woman’s right to decide how and where she gives birth.”
The Coffs Harbour Rally is a peaceful, family friendly event that will bring together local and visiting midwives, women who have experienced homebirth, families, birth workers and community supporters.
It is one of dozens of regional rallies across Australia, ahead of a National Rally at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday 24 November.
By Andrew VIVIAN
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