❓ Mr O'Gorman questions the Minister for Health about the adequacy of the 'Clinical Services Framework' given population growth and the delayed development of Joondalup Health Campus. The Minister refutes inaccuracies, defends the framework, and highlights government investment in hospitals.
AnsweredQoN 68Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JOONDALUP HEALTH CAMPUS — PERTH
POPULATION GROWTH
68. Mr A.P. O'GORMAN to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question, I beg the house's
indulgence to acknowledge that today is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day supported
by members on this side of the house by their wearing of a teal green ribbon
and raising the awareness.
I refer to recent revelations that the Liberal–National
government has significantly underestimated the Perth population explosion and
Department of Health's admission that it has used now outdated and
inadequate low-growth predictions of the estimated residential population for
the 2006 Australian census in the ''WA Health Clinical Services
Framework 2010–2020''.
(1) Does the
minister now accept that the ''Clinical Services Framework 2010–2020''
is now a woefully inadequate planning document that severely underestimates
hospital demand projections?
(2) Does the
minister accept that the decision to delay the development of Joondalup Health
Campus as a tertiary hospital will deny people, particularly those in the
Joondalup and Wanneroo areas, adequate hospital treatment?
(3) Will the
minister now immediately commit to the development of Joondalup Health Campus
as a tertiary hospital by 2015–16 in line with the original plans for
the area as promised by the former Labor government?
POPULATION GROWTH
68. Mr A.P. O'GORMAN to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question, I beg the house's
indulgence to acknowledge that today is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day supported
by members on this side of the house by their wearing of a teal green ribbon
and raising the awareness.
I refer to recent revelations that the Liberal–National
government has significantly underestimated the Perth population explosion and
Department of Health's admission that it has used now outdated and
inadequate low-growth predictions of the estimated residential population for
the 2006 Australian census in the ''WA Health Clinical Services
Framework 2010–2020''.
(1) Does the
minister now accept that the ''Clinical Services Framework 2010–2020''
is now a woefully inadequate planning document that severely underestimates
hospital demand projections?
(2) Does the
minister accept that the decision to delay the development of Joondalup Health
Campus as a tertiary hospital will deny people, particularly those in the
Joondalup and Wanneroo areas, adequate hospital treatment?
(3) Will the
minister now immediately commit to the development of Joondalup Health Campus
as a tertiary hospital by 2015–16 in line with the original plans for
the area as promised by the former Labor government?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
There are just so many inaccuracies in that question that it is hard to know
where to begin, but I will start off with the population figures. Population
figures and predictions of population growth have long been a bone of
contention amongst government departments, particularly in the field of
education, when we followed predictions made by other government departments as
to what the future numbers of the state will be. I well recall as a backbencher
having arguments about the number of schools we needed in our areas based on
figures. The same applies down in Mandurah in particular, where we have been
required to go on those population growth figures in developing planning for
schools, police force or education—all of those things. In the recent
paper, we have seen recognition by the government departments that do those
assessments of population growth that there will be a significant expansion,
almost an explosion, of population in this state. The member for Joondalup is right
that it is critical that we get that into the clinical services framework. When
he says that the current clinical services framework is woefully inadequate, it
is not true. When we came to government, and were working on the figures that
the member's government had in place for particular predictions of
future expansion of population, it was recognised that there was some
difficulties with them. We went through our budget process and allocations of
funds, but in our very robust discussions with the Treasurer, we recognised
that those predictions were not accurate. Therefore, last year's budget
predictions on future growth were upgraded to what was called the middle level
of expected population growth in the state. In our current budget, we have
modelled that middle level. We will have to go back and look at that, but the
clinical services framework is not a document fixed in stone, and neither is
the budget from Treasury. This is a dynamic process. Each year we go through
predictions of growth and numbers with Treasury. In fact, just yesterday, we
talked to the Department of Health about some of those predictions and what
they will do for future development, particularly, member for Mandurah, down in
the Peel region.
The
member for Joondalup keeps talking about the need for the tertiary hospital in
Joondalup. The only difference between the hospital in Joondalup and a tertiary
hospital is that a tertiary hospital is a state hospital, and a state hospital
is not just required to look after the people around Joondalup and its
surrounds; it is required to look after patients from the length and breadth of
this state. Therefore, like Royal Perth Hospital, like Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital and like Fremantle Hospital, that hospital would have to take patients
from all over the state.
Mr A.P. O'Gorman : It does it
now.
Dr K.D. HAMES : No; it does not now. It
gets some patients from the border area but, largely, almost inevitably, it
gets patients from the region around Joondalup. Pushing this barrow of a
tertiary hospital would disadvantage the constituents that the member for
Joondalup represents.
Mr A.P. O'Gorman : No, it wouldn't.
Don't believe his rubbish.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It is true. That
hospital provides almost every service that would be expected of a tertiary
hospital to provide, without it having that requirement to take statewide
patients.
We
need to look at population growth, but we must remember that this government,
although this was initiated by a report done by the previous government, has
invested an unprecedented amount of money into building hospitals in this state—an
unprecedented amount. We have brought forward hospitals that the opposition,
when in government, had no money for.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The former government had plans. Where was the money for
Midland hospital? It was non-existent. Where was the money for Kalgoorlie Hospital? The member for Kalgoorlie is
not here. The former government would not provide the funding. The member for
Albany is here. Ask the member for Albany what he thinks of the funding for
hospitals by the previous government. It was non-existent. The amount of money
that it had was nowhere near enough. It talked about doing Midland by 2015. It
did not have a single dollar there. It talked about doing a replacement for the
children's hospital by 2015. It had about $200 million for a $1.2 billion
project. It had nowhere near enough money. This government is doing a massive
investment. We are virtually rebuilding the health infrastructure of this
state. It is a massive investment of money to cater for future health needs.
Mr
R.H. Cook : That started under us.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The railway line was started under us. The opposition claims
credit for it, does it not? It is quick to jump out there and claim credit. We
started all the planning for it to change the first third and all the reserves.
How many bricks did the opposition lay for Fiona Stanley Hospital?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order! I am going to sit down and give a supplementary call to the
member for Joondalup if he has a supplementary question.
There are just so many inaccuracies in that question that it is hard to know
where to begin, but I will start off with the population figures. Population
figures and predictions of population growth have long been a bone of
contention amongst government departments, particularly in the field of
education, when we followed predictions made by other government departments as
to what the future numbers of the state will be. I well recall as a backbencher
having arguments about the number of schools we needed in our areas based on
figures. The same applies down in Mandurah in particular, where we have been
required to go on those population growth figures in developing planning for
schools, police force or education—all of those things. In the recent
paper, we have seen recognition by the government departments that do those
assessments of population growth that there will be a significant expansion,
almost an explosion, of population in this state. The member for Joondalup is right
that it is critical that we get that into the clinical services framework. When
he says that the current clinical services framework is woefully inadequate, it
is not true. When we came to government, and were working on the figures that
the member's government had in place for particular predictions of
future expansion of population, it was recognised that there was some
difficulties with them. We went through our budget process and allocations of
funds, but in our very robust discussions with the Treasurer, we recognised
that those predictions were not accurate. Therefore, last year's budget
predictions on future growth were upgraded to what was called the middle level
of expected population growth in the state. In our current budget, we have
modelled that middle level. We will have to go back and look at that, but the
clinical services framework is not a document fixed in stone, and neither is
the budget from Treasury. This is a dynamic process. Each year we go through
predictions of growth and numbers with Treasury. In fact, just yesterday, we
talked to the Department of Health about some of those predictions and what
they will do for future development, particularly, member for Mandurah, down in
the Peel region.
The
member for Joondalup keeps talking about the need for the tertiary hospital in
Joondalup. The only difference between the hospital in Joondalup and a tertiary
hospital is that a tertiary hospital is a state hospital, and a state hospital
is not just required to look after the people around Joondalup and its
surrounds; it is required to look after patients from the length and breadth of
this state. Therefore, like Royal Perth Hospital, like Sir Charles Gairdner
Hospital and like Fremantle Hospital, that hospital would have to take patients
from all over the state.
Mr A.P. O'Gorman : It does it
now.
Dr K.D. HAMES : No; it does not now. It
gets some patients from the border area but, largely, almost inevitably, it
gets patients from the region around Joondalup. Pushing this barrow of a
tertiary hospital would disadvantage the constituents that the member for
Joondalup represents.
Mr A.P. O'Gorman : No, it wouldn't.
Don't believe his rubbish.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It is true. That
hospital provides almost every service that would be expected of a tertiary
hospital to provide, without it having that requirement to take statewide
patients.
We
need to look at population growth, but we must remember that this government,
although this was initiated by a report done by the previous government, has
invested an unprecedented amount of money into building hospitals in this state—an
unprecedented amount. We have brought forward hospitals that the opposition,
when in government, had no money for.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The former government had plans. Where was the money for
Midland hospital? It was non-existent. Where was the money for Kalgoorlie Hospital? The member for Kalgoorlie is
not here. The former government would not provide the funding. The member for
Albany is here. Ask the member for Albany what he thinks of the funding for
hospitals by the previous government. It was non-existent. The amount of money
that it had was nowhere near enough. It talked about doing Midland by 2015. It
did not have a single dollar there. It talked about doing a replacement for the
children's hospital by 2015. It had about $200 million for a $1.2 billion
project. It had nowhere near enough money. This government is doing a massive
investment. We are virtually rebuilding the health infrastructure of this
state. It is a massive investment of money to cater for future health needs.
Mr
R.H. Cook : That started under us.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The railway line was started under us. The opposition claims
credit for it, does it not? It is quick to jump out there and claim credit. We
started all the planning for it to change the first third and all the reserves.
How many bricks did the opposition lay for Fiona Stanley Hospital?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order! I am going to sit down and give a supplementary call to the
member for Joondalup if he has a supplementary question.
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