WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam under pressure over political donations from Ramsay Health

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam is under pressure over political donations, after weeks of attacking Labor’s union links. It can be revealed a big cheque from a private healthcare provider has left an advocate who represents grieving Perth families “mortified”. Ms Mettam has been demanding the Premier hand back $25,000 from CFMEU WA — but she denies donations from Ramsay Health worth $27,500 have muted her criticism of Joondalup Health Campus. “Clearly there were strings attached,” she said of the CFMEU’s Labor donation on Wednesday. But when questioned on Thursday about whether there were any “strings attached” to Ramsay’s donations — from less than a fortnight ago — the Liberal leader said “absolutely not”. “When we’re talking about the CFMEU, we’re talking about issues of potential corruption ... to compare the two I think is quite outrageous,” she said. But health advocate Suresh Rajan said he was “quite staggered” and called the Ramsay Health donation a bad look, just 24 hours after Ms Mettam declined to support a grieving family’s call for the private operator’s contract with Joondalup Health Campus to be reviewed. “Well the buck ultimately stops with the Premier,” she said on Wednesday. Mr Rajan is representing the family of toddler Sandipan Dhar, who died of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in March just two days after he presented at Joondalup Health Campus. He said the Dhar family met with Libby Mettam last month in her capacity as shadow health minister. “I guess I’m mortified, I’m quite staggered,” he said. “They (the Liberal Party) should be giving it back.” Mr Rajan said he believes Ms Mettam’s position has changed since the donation was recorded on August 9. “She was going to talk about raising this in parliament, about the contract, now it appears that’s all gone by the wayside,” he said. Ms Mettam said there were “quite clearly ... major health issues” across all of WA’s hospitals — including Joondalup Health Campus. “We have been consistent on our position that there needs to be a systemic review of health services right across the board,” she said. “Quite clearly we need answers from Ramsay Health, we also need answers from the Minister for Health.” But she denied being aware of the sizeable donation from Ramsay Health. “No, I wasn’t aware.” Mr Rajan remains sceptical, however. “If she wasn’t aware, how does she know there were no strings attached?” The public disclosure of political donations has been a legal requirement in WA since July 1, with the information easily accessible — and searchable — online. A Ramsay Health spokesperson said the donation was “made as part of our business engagement program in the State”.