The point of being in government — especially a progressive one — is to take action. To accept the challenge of leadership and facilitate the changes necessary to address the tough issues confronting our community. It was a great privilege to accept the responsibility of being Minister for Health and Mental Health but there were major problems to confront.

The growth in the health budget over the past decade had been around 10 per cent a year. It helped put WA on course for fiscal disaster.

Governments and ministers are rightly judged by the public on whether they’ve done what they said they would do. We’ve slowed the growth in the health budget to around 31/2 per cent over the next four years.

We also said in Opposition we would undertake a sustainable health review.

We have, and it provides us with a blueprint for change. A roadmap for the future of our WA health system.

It would be easy to dismiss the review as another statement of the problems rather than a plan with solutions.

We know that doing the same but better, will not deliver a sustainable health system, one that can change to meet the challenges of health care in the future.

So I am proud that the McGowan Labor Government has accepted the eight enduring strategies and thirty recommendations of the sustainable health review.

Part of our challenge is to ensure there is a supportive culture in health and mental health: one culture.

Part of our challenge is to ensure there is a supportive culture in health and mental health: one culture. Where people feel respected and listened to; where we try different things; where we collaborate; where we value learning, especially from failure, and where we support those who dare to try different.

When we came to office there was no plan. Performance measures for health and mental health outcomes were largely invisible. Discussion of prevention was treated much like a disease.

The sustainable health review sets an ambitious agenda. Some of which may be controversial, all of which is necessary to safeguard the health and well-being of our community.

This review ensures the future of our public health system and the world-class care it provides. I want all West Australians to have the opportunity to live the best life they can — to reach their potential and achieve their goals.

That’s why we actively listen and put patients first. The issues of the WA health system are not unique, they exist across the globe and challenge governments regardless of their shade.

But WA’s health system is one of the largest and most isolated single jurisdictions in the world, so for us, change is the only option.

If people in regional WA are to benefit from modern health care, we must have a modern health system.

Criticising change or resisting the difficult decisions it requires is a luxury that must be ignored.

Being part of the solution and supporting necessary change across the health landscape is where we all need to get to.

That includes how we seize the opportunities of the digital revolution in health care and put WA patients at the forefront of modern health services.

We also need to address the decline in private health insurance cover and reduce out of pocket costs incurred by patients. WA’s public health system needs to work alongside a robust private system. We should not simply accept that the health ecosystem is too delicate to meet these challenges.

I hope in particular that all community leaders accept their responsibility and support a coherent and bipartisan approach to health and mental health reform.

It is vital if our public health system is to be viable for our future generations.