Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about my ongoing concerns about the Midland Health Campus in my electorate of Hasluck. In the 2009-10 budget, the Rudd government provided $180.1 million in funding for the new Midland Health Campus, following requests from the state Liberal government for the funding to ensure the project proceeded without delay. Construction was meant to be completed by November 2013, a year later than originally promised. Premier Colin Barnett, in his new role as Treasurer, confirmed in his recent state budget that construction on the new hospital is not due to start until 2012, with completion sometime in 2015. For a hospital that was originally due to be completed in 2012, I find this delay extremely disappointing.

In addition to that, we still have not seen the contribution from the state government, who agreed to match the federal funding. State budget papers only mention the Midland Health Campus by saying that ‘planning’ for the new hospital is ‘well advanced’. Last year’s state budget also mentioned that planning for the Midland Health Campus was ‘well advanced’. I am concerned that, after another year of delay, the state government are still yet to make a real start on delivering our new hospital.

Recently the state health minister, Kim Hames, admitted that the state cannot specify the cost benefit of pursuing their preferred option of a privatised model for the new hospital. The state government must be able to establish that there is a legitimate benefit to our community in pursuing a privatised model for the new hospital rather than proceeding to the public option—(Time expired)

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