Maternity advocates say they fought for homebirths for years

A birthing option enjoyed by women in other states will finally be available in Queensland, saving expectant mothers more than $6000.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman will make the announcement on Thursday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Queensland women will for the first time have the option of a publicly funded homebirth, ending a 10-year battle to bring the state in line with the rest of mainland Australia.

The first stage of the Publicly Funded Homebirth program will roll out at Sunshine Coast University Hospital from mid next year, saving women more than $6000 per birth.

Maternity Consumer Network’s Aleicia Staines said she believed she would never see the day the government would agree to homebirths after years of campaigning and strong resistance from past health ministers.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman will make the announcement on Thursday.

“Queensland women deserve access to high-quality, respectful and reliable maternity services, and this new service is a significant step towards making those options available,” she said. “This service provides additional options for low-risk pregnant women to give birth in the comfort of their own homes.”

Currently, a homebirth with a private midwife can cost more than $6000.

Last year 320 women gave birth at home, compared with 141 in 2018.

These numbers include freebirthing where the birth is at home but there is no health professional available.

The new service, which will receive a $1.2m cash injection, will allow Queensland Health midwives employed under a Midwifery Group Practice on the Sunshine Coast to provide evidence-based care to women who have opted for a home birth and who have a low-risk pregnancy.

QH will assess the outcomes of the service by evaluating factors including safety, quality, benefits to women, consumer interest, consumer feedback and sustainability.

Ms Fentiman said the evaluation would guide future planning and decision making, including the viability of the service in other parts of the state.

Ms Staines said the Sunshine Coast had the highest rate of homebirths in the state so was the perfect site to roll out the service: “We have been fighting for this for many years and a long line of health ministers have not been keen. But we welcome this news.”

To determine whether a publicly funded homebirth is a suitable and safe option, a number of criteria will be considered, including the health needs of mother and baby.

The pregnancy must involve only one baby and it must have reached full term.

The home environment will be assessed, and the home must be within a safe travelling distance to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in case of an emergency.