Women push Senate inquiry for sweeping reforms to postnatal care
Women across Australia have submitted harrowing testimonies to a Senate select committee, urging reforms to post-birth health services and an extension of postpartum support.
A national Senate inquiry into women's health, launched in August by Senator Marielle Smith, is gathering personal accounts that expose systemic failures in postnatal care. Submissions from mothers and health professionals, including the Adelaide Mums and Babies Clinic, describe how women feel ignored after birth, face delayed diagnoses such as endometriosis, and receive insufficient support beyond the six-week check-up.
The clinic's co-founder Rhiannon Smith and advocates like Amy Dawes of Birth Trauma Australia urge the committee to extend funded postpartum services to at least 12 months and to improve training on breastfeeding, pelvic-floor physiotherapy and mental health. Project:herSELF also pressed for humane treatment of pregnant women in custody. The committee plans its inaugural public hearing in Canberra on 13 October, with a final report slated for August 2027.
Why it matters
The inquiry could reshape how Australia supports mothers, addressing long-standing gaps in postpartum health and gender bias.
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