Birthing women of Australia will lose their right to choose both their caregiver and their place of birth as of July 2010. Midwives will not be allowed to attend homebirths due to new national registration of health professionals that requires professional indemnity insurance which is currently unavailable to midwives. The Australian Government has made this decision without consideration of birthing women.
Despite an overwhelming 53% response to the Maternity Services Review advocating more accessible homebirth services, the outcome of the review takes publicly funded homebirth off the agenda and, as a result, makes homebirth with a midwife illegal.
In July 2009 a Senate Inquiry was held into the Bills being proposed. Nearly 2000 public submissions were received and though the Senate came out in support of homebirth, they have decided to recommend passing the bills anyway stating that the outlawing of midwife assisted homebirth is an "unintentional consequence" of the new registration system.
In September 2009 over 3000 men and women congregated at Parliament House in Canberra to protest these changes. Two days prior this this Nicola Roxon announced a 2 year exemption for midwives attending homebirths pushing the date of enforcement back to July 2012.
On the 5th of November 2009, the Government then announced that for midwives to work in private practice beyond July 2010, they must work in collaborative care arrangements with private Obstetricians or private Obstetric General Practitioners. The amendment to the "Medicare for Midwives" Bill effectively gives these Doctors power to veto the decisions of midwives and mothers leaving midwives uninsured and practicing illegally if they do not abide by the Doctors ruling.
In Australia, you can choose the hospital you wish to birth in and you can choose your private Obstetrician if this is the route you choose to go. Homebirth with a midwife is the only avenue that allows a medical practitioner to over-rule your decision and that of your choosen primary caregiver.
