The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) welcomes the decision by the Albanese Government to extend the professional indemnity insurance exemption for midwives who provide homebirth services, until 30 June 2025.
Midwives working in private practice have access to professional indemnity insurance cover for antenatal and postnatal care services, but they do not have cover for homebirth intrapartum care services because the insurance sector does not currently offer a suitable indemnity insurance product.
ACM Chief Midwife Alison Weatherstone said the extension was an important step in ensuring privately practising midwives can continue to work to their full scope of practice.
“The ability for privately practising midwives to have an insurance product available is important for ensuring choice, access and equity for women at low cost.”
Further to this extension, ACM acknowledges that the Government is also working on the ‘development of an affordable, low-risk homebirth product with potential insurers’ as was outlined in a recent Senate Estimates Hearing.
“We are looking forward to a resolution to this long-standing issue.”