❓ Mr. Love asks about the Southern Inland Health Initiative. Minister Redman details investments in regional hospitals and criticises the opposition's past record on regional health, leading to interjections and accusations of pork-barrelling.
AnsweredQoN 584Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SOUTHERN
INLAND HEALTH INITIATIVE
584. Mr R.S. LOVE to the
Minister for Regional Development:
Can the minister please update the house on developments with
the Liberal–National government's Southern Inland Health
Initiative, which I understand is providing a boost to health care in some
regional areas?
INLAND HEALTH INITIATIVE
584. Mr R.S. LOVE to the
Minister for Regional Development:
Can the minister please update the house on developments with
the Liberal–National government's Southern Inland Health
Initiative, which I understand is providing a boost to health care in some
regional areas?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Moore for his question, his support
for regional investment and, of course, his strong advocacy for a whole range
of things in his electorate, including some good discussions I had with him
last week about some acute issues that need to be dealt with.
We know that in regional areas health care needs to be done
well; in the past it has not. We announced $560 million under the Southern
Inland Health Initiative to roll out a program including capital works not only
to support upgraded facilities, but also to get general practitioners into
those areas to support health services. The Minister for Health has been very,
very supportive and pushing on the program, and has led it. He has ensured that
we have made the right investments. I did a tour with him just over a month ago—not
last month, but, I think, the month before. We went through a number of
regional areas and announced fairly significant capital works upgrades to
significant centres. We went into Manjimup with $31 million supporting a new
hospital in that community. There is a $56 million upgrade to Narrogin
Hospital, $46 million to Northam Hospital, $35 million to Katanning, $26 million
to Merredin, and, of course, $8.6 million to Collie.
Mr
M.P. Murray : Typical pork-barrelling—typical!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Pork-barrelling into Health, Mr Speaker!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! Thank you for showing us that, member for Collie–Preston!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : When we talked to members of the Collie community about the
announcement, the last thing on their mind was pork-barrelling. If members
opposite think that the people of Collie thought that this was pork-barrelling —
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the
first time. If you have a list of defects, give it to the minister afterwards.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
These facilities will deliver some expanded cancer services, dental clinics,
pathological facilities, rehabilitation units and outpatient services, but they
will also support what has been overlooked for many, many years. The best that
the opposition could do was to make the call that it was two years'
late or was delayed by two years. That is not the case. I think it might have
been pushed out by six months to a year.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The member for Collie–Preston wants to talk about pushing out and not
meeting commitments. I want to bring to the attention of the chamber a headline
in the Albany Advertiser of 1 February
2005 that states ''Hospital upgrade to be fast-tracked''. I will
read the first couple of paragraphs. The article states —
THE State Government has
fast-tracked the $20 million redevelopment of the Albany Regional Hospital with
work starting in the next 12 months.
Albany MLA Peter Watson said the
redevelopment announced last year had been moved forward two years and will be
completed by the end of the next term of government.
That was just before the election in February 2005. He made
the comment —
''The fast-tracking of the
hospital's redevelopment is great news for the people of Albany and the
Great Southern,'' Mr Watson said.
The hospital was opened under our term in government in May
2013, with $170 million from the Liberal–National government.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Butler!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : There was a commitment of $170 million from the Liberal–National
government, including $61 million from royalties for regions. The Labor Party
has no credibility in regional Western Australia.
for regional investment and, of course, his strong advocacy for a whole range
of things in his electorate, including some good discussions I had with him
last week about some acute issues that need to be dealt with.
We know that in regional areas health care needs to be done
well; in the past it has not. We announced $560 million under the Southern
Inland Health Initiative to roll out a program including capital works not only
to support upgraded facilities, but also to get general practitioners into
those areas to support health services. The Minister for Health has been very,
very supportive and pushing on the program, and has led it. He has ensured that
we have made the right investments. I did a tour with him just over a month ago—not
last month, but, I think, the month before. We went through a number of
regional areas and announced fairly significant capital works upgrades to
significant centres. We went into Manjimup with $31 million supporting a new
hospital in that community. There is a $56 million upgrade to Narrogin
Hospital, $46 million to Northam Hospital, $35 million to Katanning, $26 million
to Merredin, and, of course, $8.6 million to Collie.
Mr
M.P. Murray : Typical pork-barrelling—typical!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Pork-barrelling into Health, Mr Speaker!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! Thank you for showing us that, member for Collie–Preston!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : When we talked to members of the Collie community about the
announcement, the last thing on their mind was pork-barrelling. If members
opposite think that the people of Collie thought that this was pork-barrelling —
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the
first time. If you have a list of defects, give it to the minister afterwards.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
These facilities will deliver some expanded cancer services, dental clinics,
pathological facilities, rehabilitation units and outpatient services, but they
will also support what has been overlooked for many, many years. The best that
the opposition could do was to make the call that it was two years'
late or was delayed by two years. That is not the case. I think it might have
been pushed out by six months to a year.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The member for Collie–Preston wants to talk about pushing out and not
meeting commitments. I want to bring to the attention of the chamber a headline
in the Albany Advertiser of 1 February
2005 that states ''Hospital upgrade to be fast-tracked''. I will
read the first couple of paragraphs. The article states —
THE State Government has
fast-tracked the $20 million redevelopment of the Albany Regional Hospital with
work starting in the next 12 months.
Albany MLA Peter Watson said the
redevelopment announced last year had been moved forward two years and will be
completed by the end of the next term of government.
That was just before the election in February 2005. He made
the comment —
''The fast-tracking of the
hospital's redevelopment is great news for the people of Albany and the
Great Southern,'' Mr Watson said.
The hospital was opened under our term in government in May
2013, with $170 million from the Liberal–National government.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Butler!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : There was a commitment of $170 million from the Liberal–National
government, including $61 million from royalties for regions. The Labor Party
has no credibility in regional Western Australia.
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