❓ Opposition questions the Premier about awareness of potential delays and cost blowouts in the Fiona Stanley Hospital project, based on a report from the commissioning task force. The Premier acknowledges IT delays and commissioning challenges, defending the government's progress.
AnsweredQoN 57Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — BASELINE SCHEDULE
REPORT
57. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
Prior to asking my question, on behalf of the member for
Armadale, I acknowledge the students from the gifted and talented online
program, which is coordinated by Kelmscott Senior High School, who come from
various rural communities and are in the gallery today. I also acknowledge the
residents from the electorates of Bassendean and West Swan who are in the
gallery today as part of their campaign to oppose the government's
decision to build two disability detention centres in their community.
Premier, I refer to the ''Fiona Stanley Hospital
Baseline Schedule Report'', which was prepared for the Fiona Stanley
Hospital commissioning task force, and specifically warned of potential delays
to the hospital.
(1) Was the
Premier aware that the deputy director general of the Department of the Premier
and Cabinet sat on that task force?
(2) If so, was
the Premier or any of his staff or departmental heads involved in briefings on
the task force discussions by the DPC deputy director general?
(3) If so, would
not the Premier have been advised of the commissioning issues and potential
cost blowouts during the course of 2012?
REPORT
57. Mr M. McGOWAN to the
Premier:
Prior to asking my question, on behalf of the member for
Armadale, I acknowledge the students from the gifted and talented online
program, which is coordinated by Kelmscott Senior High School, who come from
various rural communities and are in the gallery today. I also acknowledge the
residents from the electorates of Bassendean and West Swan who are in the
gallery today as part of their campaign to oppose the government's
decision to build two disability detention centres in their community.
Premier, I refer to the ''Fiona Stanley Hospital
Baseline Schedule Report'', which was prepared for the Fiona Stanley
Hospital commissioning task force, and specifically warned of potential delays
to the hospital.
(1) Was the
Premier aware that the deputy director general of the Department of the Premier
and Cabinet sat on that task force?
(2) If so, was
the Premier or any of his staff or departmental heads involved in briefings on
the task force discussions by the DPC deputy director general?
(3) If so, would
not the Premier have been advised of the commissioning issues and potential
cost blowouts during the course of 2012?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
do not have that sort of detail off the top of my head, but I will make some
comments. There has been an awareness that the information technology was going
to take longer. As the Minister for Health has said on numerous occasions, what
was delivered to government at the end of 2013 was a building. It was a long way
short of being a functioning hospital for 800 patients. In that sense, the
so-called commissioning date of April 2014 was unrealistic, and every person
involved in that project to my knowledge has said on reflection that it was
never, ever realistic. I actually went out last Friday and had a look at Fiona
Stanley Hospital. It is fantastic. It is absolutely superb. A significant
number of people are out there working, getting the equipment, testing,
commissioning, training staff, and the like. Everything possible is being done
to get the first patients to move into that hospital. But it is a very exacting
task—I gained an appreciation of that by looking at the hospital and
talking to the senior staff out there—and it will be expensive. As the
Minister for Health has said repeatedly, to transfer all the patients at one
time is equally unrealistic, and it will be a progressive process. Bear in mind
that many of those patients are extremely ill, and their safety is paramount.
Part of the cost issue is that we are basically having to run Royal Perth at
full capacity along with the commissioning and opening of Fiona Stanley.
Members opposite can continue to pursue these issues. No-one is hiding from the
fact that the original schedule for moving patients into that hospital and
completing that process was unrealistic. No-one is hiding from the fact that
delays and costs are associated with IT and basically running both hospitals
together.
Mr
M. McGowan : But you knew!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : As the Minister for Health said yesterday, we built this
hospital, and we are proud of it.
Mr
R.H. Cook : Who paid for it?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am telling the member what has happened. The reality is
that the former Labor government did not lay a brick for this hospital. It
cleared a block of land. It did not lay a brick. It had a lot of discussion and
a lot of talk. The Reid report was constructive, and that has been followed,
largely, in that respect. But the reality is that during eight years of Labor,
there was a lot of talk and a lot of discussion, but not a brick was laid. That
hospital has been built and the contracts have been signed by this government.
We do not take away from the former Labor government the role that it took in
the planning of this hospital. But that is over five years ago. The hospital
has now been completed and we are going through the very difficult process of
commissioning.
The Labor Party can carry on for as
long as it wishes and argue about dates and costs and who knew what. Meanwhile,
the Liberal–National government will complete the hospital and
commission it, and it will be probably the best hospital in the southern
hemisphere.
do not have that sort of detail off the top of my head, but I will make some
comments. There has been an awareness that the information technology was going
to take longer. As the Minister for Health has said on numerous occasions, what
was delivered to government at the end of 2013 was a building. It was a long way
short of being a functioning hospital for 800 patients. In that sense, the
so-called commissioning date of April 2014 was unrealistic, and every person
involved in that project to my knowledge has said on reflection that it was
never, ever realistic. I actually went out last Friday and had a look at Fiona
Stanley Hospital. It is fantastic. It is absolutely superb. A significant
number of people are out there working, getting the equipment, testing,
commissioning, training staff, and the like. Everything possible is being done
to get the first patients to move into that hospital. But it is a very exacting
task—I gained an appreciation of that by looking at the hospital and
talking to the senior staff out there—and it will be expensive. As the
Minister for Health has said repeatedly, to transfer all the patients at one
time is equally unrealistic, and it will be a progressive process. Bear in mind
that many of those patients are extremely ill, and their safety is paramount.
Part of the cost issue is that we are basically having to run Royal Perth at
full capacity along with the commissioning and opening of Fiona Stanley.
Members opposite can continue to pursue these issues. No-one is hiding from the
fact that the original schedule for moving patients into that hospital and
completing that process was unrealistic. No-one is hiding from the fact that
delays and costs are associated with IT and basically running both hospitals
together.
Mr
M. McGowan : But you knew!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : As the Minister for Health said yesterday, we built this
hospital, and we are proud of it.
Mr
R.H. Cook : Who paid for it?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am telling the member what has happened. The reality is
that the former Labor government did not lay a brick for this hospital. It
cleared a block of land. It did not lay a brick. It had a lot of discussion and
a lot of talk. The Reid report was constructive, and that has been followed,
largely, in that respect. But the reality is that during eight years of Labor,
there was a lot of talk and a lot of discussion, but not a brick was laid. That
hospital has been built and the contracts have been signed by this government.
We do not take away from the former Labor government the role that it took in
the planning of this hospital. But that is over five years ago. The hospital
has now been completed and we are going through the very difficult process of
commissioning.
The Labor Party can carry on for as
long as it wishes and argue about dates and costs and who knew what. Meanwhile,
the Liberal–National government will complete the hospital and
commission it, and it will be probably the best hospital in the southern
hemisphere.
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