❓ Ms. Mettam questions the allocation of only $10.2 million to the new women's and babies' hospital despite a 2020 announcement of full funding. The Premier defends the allocation, citing the need for extensive planning and referencing past hospital project delays.
AnsweredQoN 140Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WOMEN'S AND BABIES' HOSPITAL
140. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's 2020 announcement that the
new women's and babies' hospital will be fully funded and
situated adjacent to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital G block within the QEII
Medical Centre. How is it that the government has managed to allocate only
$10.2 million for the new women's and babies' hospital over the
past two years, with the project team tasked
with business case development still discussing lighting, waste management and recycling options?
140. Ms L. METTAM to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's 2020 announcement that the
new women's and babies' hospital will be fully funded and
situated adjacent to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital G block within the QEII
Medical Centre. How is it that the government has managed to allocate only
$10.2 million for the new women's and babies' hospital over the
past two years, with the project team tasked
with business case development still discussing lighting, waste management and recycling options?
AnswerView source ↗
The estimated cost for the
women's and babies' hospital is around $1.8 billion. We
announced that plan in 2020, as the Leader of the Opposition said. Obviously in
the time since then, we have had to do a lot of work. We have to do a business
case, planning, and all sorts of analysis and assessment. The ordinary time
frame between announcement of a new hospital and opening the hospital is
10 to 15 years. That is normally what happens with a major tertiary hospital. I
remember that with Fiona Stanley Hospital, the time period was something in
that range. I remember also that Perth Children's Hospital was proposed
in the Reid review in the early 2000s, and it was opened—we opened it, actually—in 2018–19, so
it took around 15 years. That is because building a hospital is hard; it is a big
job . It can go awry if you do not do all the planning and all the work
properly. Members will recall what happened at Perth Children's Hospital.
I think that was proposed by Bob Kucera. He put in place the report that came
up with the Reid review in the early 2000s that proposed a new children's
hospital. That hospital was constructed over eight
years or so. There was then the issue of lead in the water pipes, which the
former government could not resolve , so the hospital sat there
completed, but unopened. When we came to office, we took some pretty dramatic
steps to get to the bottom of it, and we were able to open it by 2018–19.
That is why you have to plan these things properly, because you can have things
go awry like that. That is why money has been allocated for all those purposes.
We are very keen to ensure that we can open
a new women's and babies' hospital as soon as we can for the women
and babies of Western Australia.
women's and babies' hospital is around $1.8 billion. We
announced that plan in 2020, as the Leader of the Opposition said. Obviously in
the time since then, we have had to do a lot of work. We have to do a business
case, planning, and all sorts of analysis and assessment. The ordinary time
frame between announcement of a new hospital and opening the hospital is
10 to 15 years. That is normally what happens with a major tertiary hospital. I
remember that with Fiona Stanley Hospital, the time period was something in
that range. I remember also that Perth Children's Hospital was proposed
in the Reid review in the early 2000s, and it was opened—we opened it, actually—in 2018–19, so
it took around 15 years. That is because building a hospital is hard; it is a big
job . It can go awry if you do not do all the planning and all the work
properly. Members will recall what happened at Perth Children's Hospital.
I think that was proposed by Bob Kucera. He put in place the report that came
up with the Reid review in the early 2000s that proposed a new children's
hospital. That hospital was constructed over eight
years or so. There was then the issue of lead in the water pipes, which the
former government could not resolve , so the hospital sat there
completed, but unopened. When we came to office, we took some pretty dramatic
steps to get to the bottom of it, and we were able to open it by 2018–19.
That is why you have to plan these things properly, because you can have things
go awry like that. That is why money has been allocated for all those purposes.
We are very keen to ensure that we can open
a new women's and babies' hospital as soon as we can for the women
and babies of Western Australia.
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