Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to express my deep concern since I last raised this topic: the Rouse Hill hospital and the New South Wales state government's failure to secure and fund a birth unit for a new public hospital in one of Sydney's fastest-growing areas. The north-west of Sydney has been doing the heavy lifting for growth. Indeed, the state government's new growth projections have doubled—or, in some cases, tripled—the number of dwellings that will be in place in what is the fastest-growth area not just in Sydney but in Australia.

The last government—the coalition government—announced a new public hospital at Rouse Hill, affecting my electorate, the electorate of Greenway and all of north-west Sydney. It was a fantastic initiative, with $700 million to be spent. But the health minister in New South Wales has announced that, in one of the fastest-growth corridors in Australia, there'll be no maternity unit built at the new public hospital.

This is an absolute shambles. In fact, the private hospital that will be constructed across the road from the public hospital will have maternity facilities. If we're going to the trouble—and we are—of building a $700-million public hospital, how can we not have a maternity unit there?

I call on the NSW Labor state government to announce a fully funded public hospital maternity unit. Even if they don't want to do it now, think of the cost saving. If in 10 years they try and put this in, which they will have to anyway, it will cost five times as much. We need it now. It's the fastest-growing area of Sydney, and I call on the state Labor government to fully fund the Rouse Hill hospital.