❓ The Premier provides an update on the Cook Labor government's approach to upgrading hospitals in regional WA, highlighting projects in Geraldton and Tom Price, and initiatives to support regional patients' access to quality medical services.
AnsweredQoN 490Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH — REGIONS
490. Ms L. DALTON to the Premier:
Madam Speaker, before I ask my
question, on behalf of the member for Southern River, I acknowledge the
students of Excelsior Primary School from Canning Vale.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to strengthening regional Western Australia, in particular, the
health system.
(1) Can the
Premier provide an update to the house on this government's approach to
upgrading hospitals in country WA?
(2) Can the
Premier outline to the house any other recent initiatives to support regional
patients to access quality medical services?
490. Ms L. DALTON to the Premier:
Madam Speaker, before I ask my
question, on behalf of the member for Southern River, I acknowledge the
students of Excelsior Primary School from Canning Vale.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to strengthening regional Western Australia, in particular, the
health system.
(1) Can the
Premier provide an update to the house on this government's approach to
upgrading hospitals in country WA?
(2) Can the
Premier outline to the house any other recent initiatives to support regional
patients to access quality medical services?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
would love to answer this question, particularly for the member for Geraldton.
There has been no bigger champion of
regional health services than the member for Geraldton, particularly in the
redevelopment of the Geraldton Health
Campus. I am absolutely delighted to see that project running ahead. There have
been only two phases in the redevelopment of the Geraldton Health
Campus: one under the Gallop government and one under the Cook government. In
the eight and a half years of silence around regional health care, which was under the Barnett government, we saw
nothing. Nothing happened at Geraldton. My government is committed to
providing the necessary resources and supports to our great staff doing
terrific work and providing world-leading
health care in some of the most isolated areas of Australia, in particular Tom
Price . A key concern to me is that we get this project moving forward. I
was able to travel to the Pilbara with the local member, Kevin Michel, and
upper house member, Peter Foster, where we had an opportunity to talk to the
staff at the Tom Price Hospital about the challenges of delivering health care
in regional towns.
We also had the chance to share the
much-welcome news that the Cook Labor government is committed to upgrading Tom
Price Hospital. That is not all. We also announced a new innovative approach to
procurement. Given the challenges of securing contractors in the current market
and the industry's need for certainty over a sustainable pipeline of
work, we made the decision to bundle the tender for Tom Price Hospital with
Paraburdoo Hospital. We are almost doing a two for one—one project, two
hospitals—and making sure we bring innovation to procurement and
deliver these important hospital upgrades.
The larger package of works will
reduce the time spent tendering and create a sustainable pipeline of works, particularly for local subcontractors. It
will mean that we can get on with the important project of upgrading Tom
Price Hospital while also finalising the planning for Paraburdoo Hospital. It
will mean that the excellent staff at Tom Price Hospital will get the
facilities they need, like a modern emergency department and contemporary
facilities for visiting services with private interview and consulting rooms,
like a four-bed inpatient ward. We know that they have been frustrated with the
delays associated with this project, and
that is why we are taking a fresh approach to fast track this important
project. I look forward to the tender for this major regional health
project being advertised imminently.
As part of our package, our great
friend and partner Rio Tinto will be able to join us in the project. It has
committed to contribute $40 million through the resources community investment
initiative towards this project. Its know-how on the ground will also help us
deliver on these two important projects.
I look forward to visiting Tom Price
again as soon as the project progresses. In the words of the shire president,
Audra Smith —
''It was fantastic to have the
Premier in Tom Price today to acknowledge the community's grassroots
campaign to get these hospitals underway and prioritise the health of our
community.
These
sorts of commitments and investments come on top of the great announcements
made by the Minister for Health on the upgrading of the patient assisted
travel scheme, which is another demonstration of our commitment to regional
health for regional Western Australians. It is the first significant
redevelopment of PATS in a very long time. The previous mob got a parliamentary
committee to look into this. It had a majority of members on that committee. It
made a range of recommendations. The Barnett government ignored them. It takes
a Labor government with a commitment to health to make these things happen.
As an aside, I congratulate the
Minister for Health and the Department of Health for reaching an important milestone in our respiratory syncytial virus
immunisation service for infants and children. Today we reached the
milestone of 20 000 babies and infants being immunised against RSV. That will
have a huge benefit for the Western Australian
community. It is another great example of our commitment to health care in WA.
would love to answer this question, particularly for the member for Geraldton.
There has been no bigger champion of
regional health services than the member for Geraldton, particularly in the
redevelopment of the Geraldton Health
Campus. I am absolutely delighted to see that project running ahead. There have
been only two phases in the redevelopment of the Geraldton Health
Campus: one under the Gallop government and one under the Cook government. In
the eight and a half years of silence around regional health care, which was under the Barnett government, we saw
nothing. Nothing happened at Geraldton. My government is committed to
providing the necessary resources and supports to our great staff doing
terrific work and providing world-leading
health care in some of the most isolated areas of Australia, in particular Tom
Price . A key concern to me is that we get this project moving forward. I
was able to travel to the Pilbara with the local member, Kevin Michel, and
upper house member, Peter Foster, where we had an opportunity to talk to the
staff at the Tom Price Hospital about the challenges of delivering health care
in regional towns.
We also had the chance to share the
much-welcome news that the Cook Labor government is committed to upgrading Tom
Price Hospital. That is not all. We also announced a new innovative approach to
procurement. Given the challenges of securing contractors in the current market
and the industry's need for certainty over a sustainable pipeline of
work, we made the decision to bundle the tender for Tom Price Hospital with
Paraburdoo Hospital. We are almost doing a two for one—one project, two
hospitals—and making sure we bring innovation to procurement and
deliver these important hospital upgrades.
The larger package of works will
reduce the time spent tendering and create a sustainable pipeline of works, particularly for local subcontractors. It
will mean that we can get on with the important project of upgrading Tom
Price Hospital while also finalising the planning for Paraburdoo Hospital. It
will mean that the excellent staff at Tom Price Hospital will get the
facilities they need, like a modern emergency department and contemporary
facilities for visiting services with private interview and consulting rooms,
like a four-bed inpatient ward. We know that they have been frustrated with the
delays associated with this project, and
that is why we are taking a fresh approach to fast track this important
project. I look forward to the tender for this major regional health
project being advertised imminently.
As part of our package, our great
friend and partner Rio Tinto will be able to join us in the project. It has
committed to contribute $40 million through the resources community investment
initiative towards this project. Its know-how on the ground will also help us
deliver on these two important projects.
I look forward to visiting Tom Price
again as soon as the project progresses. In the words of the shire president,
Audra Smith —
''It was fantastic to have the
Premier in Tom Price today to acknowledge the community's grassroots
campaign to get these hospitals underway and prioritise the health of our
community.
These
sorts of commitments and investments come on top of the great announcements
made by the Minister for Health on the upgrading of the patient assisted
travel scheme, which is another demonstration of our commitment to regional
health for regional Western Australians. It is the first significant
redevelopment of PATS in a very long time. The previous mob got a parliamentary
committee to look into this. It had a majority of members on that committee. It
made a range of recommendations. The Barnett government ignored them. It takes
a Labor government with a commitment to health to make these things happen.
As an aside, I congratulate the
Minister for Health and the Department of Health for reaching an important milestone in our respiratory syncytial virus
immunisation service for infants and children. Today we reached the
milestone of 20 000 babies and infants being immunised against RSV. That will
have a huge benefit for the Western Australian
community. It is another great example of our commitment to health care in WA.
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