Midwives in private practice can continue to provide homebirth services without mandatory professional indemnity (PI) insurance after the Federal Government extended the exemption for another two years, to June 30 2025.

Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearne announced the extension today and says the Government is working with state and territory counterparts to find a long-term solution after private insurers stopped offering "suitable" cover for homebirth intrapartum care services.

The exemption has been repeatedly extended, most recently in 2021 for two years by the previous Coalition Government.

“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 offer a suitable indemnity insurance product,” a statement from Ms Kearne’s office says.

“The Government, with the agreement of state and territory government Health Ministers, has extended the exemption…for the benefit of midwives and the women in their care.”

Ms Kearne says the Government will work with state and territory health ministers to finalise a solution to the “longstanding and entrenched issue privately practising midwives face in accessing appropriate professional indemnity insurance”.

The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) supports the extension, saying it is 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,” ACM Chief Midwife Alison Weatherstone said.

“We are looking forward to a resolution to this long-standing issue.”

At present MIGA is the sole provider of PI insurance to eligible privately practising midwives under the Federal Government’s Midwives Insurance Scheme. It offers two cover options depending on whether or not intrapartum care is provided, the MIGA website says.