❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the Wiluna medical facility, detailing funding contributions from the state and commonwealth governments, addressing cost shortfalls, and outlining steps to secure licensing and operation of the facility.
AnsweredQoN 537Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WILUNA MEDICAL FACILITY
537. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER to the Minister for Health:
There has been substantial media interest in the completion
of the Wiluna medical facility. Can the minister update the house on where it
is at?
537. Mr J.J.M. BOWLER to the Minister for Health:
There has been substantial media interest in the completion
of the Wiluna medical facility. Can the minister update the house on where it
is at?
AnswerView source ↗
Due to the member's discussions with me about this
issue on numerous occasions, I know he is aware that this has been somewhat of
an ongoing saga.
Just to recap on where we are at, I have said this
development was a commonwealth government responsibility. The state and
commonwealth negotiated a joint payment for the facility because there seemed
to be some value to the state in having the new facility at that location, at a
cost of $9.623 million. Western Australia agreed to pay direct to the
commonwealth, as a capital grant, $4.37 million, which therefore capped and
fixed our contribution. The member then came back to me because of issues with
the total cost, citing a significant shortfall of nearly $2.5 million. We
decided to work to try to resolve that with the Office for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Health, which was responsible for that, and it came back
with a figure of $800 000. Once again, we agreed to go halves, and provided an
additional $400 000. The member will be aware—it was recently reported
in the paper—that the manager of Ngangganawili went to the media saying
there was still a significant shortfall of funding of somewhere between $1.3 million
and $1.5 million, and that as it was, it could not be operated because it did
not have a state government licence to operate. I pointed out to the house that
the reason it did not have a state government licence was that it had not asked
for a state government licence. As a result of a desire by us as a state
government to conclude and have that clinic operating, I asked the director
general to go back and talk to the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Health about what could be done to fix it. I am here today to tell the
house what has been agreed.
Firstly, at my request the director general has directed the
state government Licensing and Accreditation Regulatory Unit to go to Wiluna,
without any request from that facility, to see if it can be licensed; my staff
believe that it can be as it is. Some of the missing things, such as
landscaping, are not required for the proper operation of the facility. People
from that unit are going to go there and see about licensing, and while they
are there they will meet the Wiluna architects to go through and work out
whether additional things or work needs to be done. They will identify that
with the architects, and that will include working out the costs. Also, OATSIH
has agreed that it will then come and work out whatever needs to be done to
finish that facility and the costs, and, once again, we have agreed to a 50–50
share with WA Country Health Service to fund the necessary requirements to get
that facility up and running. It may not be the full $1.3 million that they are
asking for; that request contains a lot of things that were not in the original
proposal, and quite clearly as it has gotten closer to being finished, they have
decided to stop and make a public issue of it in order to get the extra things
they want in that centre. We will work out what needs to be there for it to
operate, and we will fund it 50–50 to make sure it is done. We will
then ensure that it receives the licence, and then the centre can start the
work of providing the health service that is so desperately needed at that
facility.
At the end of the day it is an over $10 million health
service facility in Wiluna. It is something that is desperately needed for that
region; it is very much needed for Wiluna. Despite some of the issues that we
have had with Ngangganawili, at the end of the day it is trying to get the
absolute best for the people in its region. While I have some issues with the
way it has gone about that, the end result will be one of which it can be proud
and the state and commonwealth government, who are joint funders, will also be
very proud.
issue on numerous occasions, I know he is aware that this has been somewhat of
an ongoing saga.
Just to recap on where we are at, I have said this
development was a commonwealth government responsibility. The state and
commonwealth negotiated a joint payment for the facility because there seemed
to be some value to the state in having the new facility at that location, at a
cost of $9.623 million. Western Australia agreed to pay direct to the
commonwealth, as a capital grant, $4.37 million, which therefore capped and
fixed our contribution. The member then came back to me because of issues with
the total cost, citing a significant shortfall of nearly $2.5 million. We
decided to work to try to resolve that with the Office for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Health, which was responsible for that, and it came back
with a figure of $800 000. Once again, we agreed to go halves, and provided an
additional $400 000. The member will be aware—it was recently reported
in the paper—that the manager of Ngangganawili went to the media saying
there was still a significant shortfall of funding of somewhere between $1.3 million
and $1.5 million, and that as it was, it could not be operated because it did
not have a state government licence to operate. I pointed out to the house that
the reason it did not have a state government licence was that it had not asked
for a state government licence. As a result of a desire by us as a state
government to conclude and have that clinic operating, I asked the director
general to go back and talk to the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Health about what could be done to fix it. I am here today to tell the
house what has been agreed.
Firstly, at my request the director general has directed the
state government Licensing and Accreditation Regulatory Unit to go to Wiluna,
without any request from that facility, to see if it can be licensed; my staff
believe that it can be as it is. Some of the missing things, such as
landscaping, are not required for the proper operation of the facility. People
from that unit are going to go there and see about licensing, and while they
are there they will meet the Wiluna architects to go through and work out
whether additional things or work needs to be done. They will identify that
with the architects, and that will include working out the costs. Also, OATSIH
has agreed that it will then come and work out whatever needs to be done to
finish that facility and the costs, and, once again, we have agreed to a 50–50
share with WA Country Health Service to fund the necessary requirements to get
that facility up and running. It may not be the full $1.3 million that they are
asking for; that request contains a lot of things that were not in the original
proposal, and quite clearly as it has gotten closer to being finished, they have
decided to stop and make a public issue of it in order to get the extra things
they want in that centre. We will work out what needs to be there for it to
operate, and we will fund it 50–50 to make sure it is done. We will
then ensure that it receives the licence, and then the centre can start the
work of providing the health service that is so desperately needed at that
facility.
At the end of the day it is an over $10 million health
service facility in Wiluna. It is something that is desperately needed for that
region; it is very much needed for Wiluna. Despite some of the issues that we
have had with Ngangganawili, at the end of the day it is trying to get the
absolute best for the people in its region. While I have some issues with the
way it has gone about that, the end result will be one of which it can be proud
and the state and commonwealth government, who are joint funders, will also be
very proud.
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