Overview

• Pink Elephants’ Not Just A Loss report says women in remote areas face a 60% higher risk of perinatal death and wait up to three hours longer on average for specialist obstetric care.
• Service closures force long trips for treatment, with cases in Western Australia involving 500km travel for surgery and more than 40% of rural midwifery centres closed since the early 1990s.
• The report warns that missing national data makes pregnancy loss less visible, particularly for First Nations women, limiting targeted funding and culturally safe support.
• Recommended reforms include national care standards, continuity-of-care models, trauma‑informed communication, culturally safe services, and digital‑first peer support.
• The federal government cites $5.5 million over four years for miscarriage support, including $4 million to Pink Elephants, while clinicians call for a review of patient travel assistance that offers $70 per adult per night; NSW has funded expanded midwife‑led care within an $83 million maternity package.