Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise yet again to highlight the mismanagement by the New South Wales Liberal-Nationals government when it comes to their bungled announcement about the site selection for the new Tweed Hospital. The process has been to date a complete debacle. It's been cloaked in secrecy, it's lacked proper community consultation and it's lacked transparency. Since the bungled announcement by the Tweed Nationals MP, Geoff Provest, and the New South Wales Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard, their incompetent and arrogant government have tried to shut down community discussions and silence any critics. The current Tweed Hospital is under enormous pressure due to the Nationals' funding cuts over the past eight years, and everyone in our community knows that better hospital services are needed. But locals also know that they have not been consulted, and the site decision was just dropped on the community without giving them proper input at all.

Recently the New South Wales government announced that the new hospital would be built on a protected 23-hectare farmland site of state significance at Cudgen. The fact is there were more than 30 other potential sites. Since the announcement there has been widespread community concern about the chosen location, especially as this piece of protected prime agricultural land is in an area that is one of the largest producers of sweet potatoes in New South Wales.

It's important to note that in 2002 the land was designated and classified as land of state significance due to its rich, red volcanic soil. Many in the community have raised concerns that property developers have been seeking its rezoning for decades. Due to the widespread community concern, a meeting attended by hundreds of locals was held. Under this pressure the government reopened the submission period and actually invited community feedback. The period for submissions closed last week, and just this week the government was dragged into having a community meeting in which it was forced to acknowledge three other potential sites. But there's a strong feeling that this is just a smokescreen and that the decision has already been made.

The government is also now trying to cobble together two consultative groups, one from the Tweed Shire Council and one from the community. Yet for council or community members to be on these groups they are forced to sign confidentiality agreements so extreme and stringent it means they are legally prohibited from publicly discussing the hospital. That is unfair and undemocratic. The community is also very concerned that this National Party decision to build on protected farmland is a backdoor means of allowing overdevelopment. We know what the National Party agenda is. They want the land at Cudgen rezoned and there to be Gold Coast style high-rise overdevelopment at Kingscliff. That is the National Party agenda. There is also major concern in our community that some prominent National Party identities own land adjacent to the hospital and would greatly benefit from any rezoning. This is a point that is constantly raised by locals, who bring it up with me all the time.

The fact is the North Coast has been neglected by the Nationals, and we do need better health services to respond to our population, which is growing and ageing. The demand is there. But we need those decisions made with proper consultation and proper transparency for the benefit of the whole community, rather than just National Party benefactors. The community has to be consulted. We deserve so much better than what we currently have from the North Coast Nationals and their mismanagement, particularly, of the site selection of the hospital.