❓ Mr Bowler asks about the Kalgoorlie hospital project opening and overall health infrastructure investment. The Minister for Health responds, highlighting the government's investment and criticising the previous Labor government's record.
AnsweredQoN 667Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH —
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
667. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER to the Minister for Health:
One of the major announcements of this government over the
past four years resulted in last week's opening of the $55.8 million
Kalgoorlie hospital project, which I was a proud to attend with the Minister
for Health and the Premier. Can the minister please update the house on the
opening of this project and on the government's investment in health
infrastructure since coming to office?
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
667. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER to the Minister for Health:
One of the major announcements of this government over the
past four years resulted in last week's opening of the $55.8 million
Kalgoorlie hospital project, which I was a proud to attend with the Minister
for Health and the Premier. Can the minister please update the house on the
opening of this project and on the government's investment in health
infrastructure since coming to office?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The Premier, the
Minister for Regional Development, the member for Kalgoorlie and the other
local member, Graham Jacobs, and I had the great pleasure to attend the
official opening of the Kalgoorlie Health Campus last week. We are very proud
of that development, as I am sure the local member is. I still recall the
member for Kalgoorlie's face when we talked about the fact that the
project had been cancelled. I remember having a go at the former Minister for
Health, who had cancelled the project under the previous government, saying
there were no people available to build it! The project did not even go out to
tender to build it. It was scrubbed off as part of the previous government's
cost-saving exercise. It was a great infrastructure project and one of nearly
$7 billion worth of infrastructure projects that this government is doing
around the state. It explains, I think, why the ad we ran in the last election
campaign, which asked to name three things that the Labor Party had done during
its seven years of government, followed by silence, was such an effective
campaign. It still is, because what did the Labor government do during its
time? Very, very little.
Mr E.S. Ripper :
Only $30 billion worth of infrastructure—$30 billion.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Belmont was the great saviour! As Treasurer he was like Scrooge
sitting at the back counting his pennies!
Mr E.S. Ripper :
There was $30 billion worth of infrastructure, and I reduced debt.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is how he got debt down—he did not spend it on anything; he
hoarded all that money in there like a good Scrooge. He gave us —
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park!
Dr K.D. HAMES : He
gave us a great fund in government that we could go out with and actually get
things done.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, I formally call you to order for the second time
today. Minister for Health, you should expect some interjection and if you say
what you are going to say, you should continue to expect interjection.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The money —
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : We
do give the Labor Party credit for the railway line. We planned all the routes.
We reserved the land, but the Labor Party did build it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Hopefully I will be able to give another question today; I would like that
opportunity to fall to somebody in this place. The way we are going, we might
not be able to get there.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
Labor Party did build it or, at least, Alannah built it; she did a fantastic
job building that railway line. But the Labor Party cannot have it both ways.
When we get to Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Labor Party says, ''That
was ours''—the Labor government cleared that block; that was it.
We have built Fiona Stanley Hospital —
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
Beautiful!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, you might want to keep your voice down a bit. I do
not need to hear any Con the Fruiterer imitations in this place, no matter how ''beautiful''
they may be! I formally call you to order for the third time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
This government built Fiona Stanley Hospital, but it is not the only thing we have
built. I go through the list of hospitals that were either built or are under
construction under this government, and we can add to it the new Albany health
campus. We were there on the weekend and it looks absolutely magnificent. It
was built with state government funds—partly through our initial fund
and partly through royalties for regions—and that is $170.4 million.
The new Busselton health campus was $117.9 million. There is the southern
inland health initiative, which is $325 million worth of infrastructure that
will be built throughout that southern inland health region. There is the Fiona
Stanley Hospital at $1.76 billion, which we have built. The Midland Health
Campus is $360 million—$180 million from the commonwealth and $180 million
from the state—and that is just getting underway. And of course, on the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre campus we have the new children's
hospital at $1.2 billion. There is the state rehabilitation service at $239 million,
the new PathWest centre at $55 million and the new cancer centre at $47 million—and,
of course, in the northern suburbs there is the Joondalup Health Campus
expansion at $229 million.
Mr C.J. Barnett :
Fantastic; historic.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is a historic amount. If we extrapolate the value of dollars in the future, I
do not think that amount will ever be bettered by any government in the future
of this state. In four years of government, which will probably be six years by
the time we have finished, we have totally rebuilt the health infrastructure in
this state. Compare that with what happened under Labor; one hospital was built—Port
Hedland hospital—and that was it.
Minister for Regional Development, the member for Kalgoorlie and the other
local member, Graham Jacobs, and I had the great pleasure to attend the
official opening of the Kalgoorlie Health Campus last week. We are very proud
of that development, as I am sure the local member is. I still recall the
member for Kalgoorlie's face when we talked about the fact that the
project had been cancelled. I remember having a go at the former Minister for
Health, who had cancelled the project under the previous government, saying
there were no people available to build it! The project did not even go out to
tender to build it. It was scrubbed off as part of the previous government's
cost-saving exercise. It was a great infrastructure project and one of nearly
$7 billion worth of infrastructure projects that this government is doing
around the state. It explains, I think, why the ad we ran in the last election
campaign, which asked to name three things that the Labor Party had done during
its seven years of government, followed by silence, was such an effective
campaign. It still is, because what did the Labor government do during its
time? Very, very little.
Mr E.S. Ripper :
Only $30 billion worth of infrastructure—$30 billion.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Belmont was the great saviour! As Treasurer he was like Scrooge
sitting at the back counting his pennies!
Mr E.S. Ripper :
There was $30 billion worth of infrastructure, and I reduced debt.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is how he got debt down—he did not spend it on anything; he
hoarded all that money in there like a good Scrooge. He gave us —
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park!
Dr K.D. HAMES : He
gave us a great fund in government that we could go out with and actually get
things done.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, I formally call you to order for the second time
today. Minister for Health, you should expect some interjection and if you say
what you are going to say, you should continue to expect interjection.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The money —
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : We
do give the Labor Party credit for the railway line. We planned all the routes.
We reserved the land, but the Labor Party did build it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Hopefully I will be able to give another question today; I would like that
opportunity to fall to somebody in this place. The way we are going, we might
not be able to get there.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
Labor Party did build it or, at least, Alannah built it; she did a fantastic
job building that railway line. But the Labor Party cannot have it both ways.
When we get to Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Labor Party says, ''That
was ours''—the Labor government cleared that block; that was it.
We have built Fiona Stanley Hospital —
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
Beautiful!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park, you might want to keep your voice down a bit. I do
not need to hear any Con the Fruiterer imitations in this place, no matter how ''beautiful''
they may be! I formally call you to order for the third time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
This government built Fiona Stanley Hospital, but it is not the only thing we have
built. I go through the list of hospitals that were either built or are under
construction under this government, and we can add to it the new Albany health
campus. We were there on the weekend and it looks absolutely magnificent. It
was built with state government funds—partly through our initial fund
and partly through royalties for regions—and that is $170.4 million.
The new Busselton health campus was $117.9 million. There is the southern
inland health initiative, which is $325 million worth of infrastructure that
will be built throughout that southern inland health region. There is the Fiona
Stanley Hospital at $1.76 billion, which we have built. The Midland Health
Campus is $360 million—$180 million from the commonwealth and $180 million
from the state—and that is just getting underway. And of course, on the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre campus we have the new children's
hospital at $1.2 billion. There is the state rehabilitation service at $239 million,
the new PathWest centre at $55 million and the new cancer centre at $47 million—and,
of course, in the northern suburbs there is the Joondalup Health Campus
expansion at $229 million.
Mr C.J. Barnett :
Fantastic; historic.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is a historic amount. If we extrapolate the value of dollars in the future, I
do not think that amount will ever be bettered by any government in the future
of this state. In four years of government, which will probably be six years by
the time we have finished, we have totally rebuilt the health infrastructure in
this state. Compare that with what happened under Labor; one hospital was built—Port
Hedland hospital—and that was it.
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