Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to advise the House that tomorrow, Friday, 16 October, the first concrete pour of the Palmerston Regional Hospital will occur. I am looking forward to joining my 'Team Palmerston' colleagues, Minister Peter Chandler, Nathan Barrett MLA, and Lia Finnocchiario MLA—Lia is a new mum, and I hope she brings baby Isla to the event—along with Minister for Health John Elferink, as we watch the first concrete pour.

This event has been a long time coming. I remember the first public meeting at CMAX cinemas, where we discussed building a hospital in Palmerston. The late Pete Davies was at the meeting, and I am sure he will be smiling down tomorrow with a big thumbs up as the concrete is being poured.

This is a great news story. The federal government and the Country Liberals Territory government are working together to deliver our promised hospital, a superior hospital to that promised by the Labor government. We are building a hospital for the people of Darwin and Palmerston. Federally, we committed $110 million as part of my election commitment to build the 116-bed, state of the art hospital facility. We said we would build it and that is exactly what we are doing. We are building and delivering a hospital for all Territorians, but particularly for the people of Darwin and Palmerston, and I am so, so proud.