❓ Question regarding the significance of the Midland public hospital topping out milestone. The Minister uses the opportunity to criticise the previous government's handling of the project and highlight the current government's progress.
AnsweredQoN 744Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MIDLAND
PUBLIC HOSPITAL
744. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Health:
I understand that the minister celebrated another milestone
in the state government's $7 billion capital works investment for
health, with the topping out of the Midland public hospital last week. Could
the minister please explain the significance of this milestone to the house?
PUBLIC HOSPITAL
744. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Health:
I understand that the minister celebrated another milestone
in the state government's $7 billion capital works investment for
health, with the topping out of the Midland public hospital last week. Could
the minister please explain the significance of this milestone to the house?
AnswerView source ↗
The new Midland public hospital has been a tremendous
milestone to achieve. It is a $360 million project, half of which came from the
state and half from the commonwealth. It is on schedule for its opening in 2015
and had what is called a topping-out. That is the finish of the construction
process of the external component of the building and means that it is now
about 40 per cent complete.
Members may be interested to know some of the history of this
hospital and its funding. We have already been through what happened with
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and Fiona Stanley Hospital. This
hospital was promised to the people of Western Australia in September 2005 by
the former Minister for Health. He promised that he would have this 326-bed
hospital completed with up to 200 beds by 2010. By just May 2006, the
completion date had moved to 2011. We have seen a pattern of this with Fiona
Stanley Hospital. Every year the completion date was moved to a year later.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : By November
2007 —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.J. Kelly : Supercilious snoop.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Bassendean. I call
you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
think I do resemble that remark!
Once again, in November 2007, the completion date was put out
to 2012. The government of the day had allocated $193 million to get the
project to the 300 beds it had talked about. That was nowhere near enough for a
project that has cost a total of $360 million.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I call you to order
for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : To
get this project to the 307 public beds is part of the $7 billion we are
spending on extending health. The former government announced that it would
open in 2012, knowing that it was a three-year project. In May 2008, it was
talking about dates of tenders, well before the state election. With
construction starting in July 2008, well before the state election, what did we
find?
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order
for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
What did we find when we came to government? We expected construction of the
new hospital to be well underway, but there was nothing. There were no plans
and no designs and no tenders had been put out.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Absolutely nothing had been done to get that project to its completion.
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to
order for the first time. Minister, can you wind this up please?
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, Mr Speaker, I am just concluding by —
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Just to conclude, as usual, this government has got on with the
job.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am trying to get this last sentence out.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana, I call you to order
for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
will try the last sentence again. As usual, this government has shown that when
it gets into government, it gets on with things. It gets them done and it meets
the commitments it made to the people of Western Australia, including Albany
Hospital, the Kalgoorlie Hospital upgrade, Busselton Hospital, the Midland
public hospital, Perth Children's Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital—$7
billion of construction.
milestone to achieve. It is a $360 million project, half of which came from the
state and half from the commonwealth. It is on schedule for its opening in 2015
and had what is called a topping-out. That is the finish of the construction
process of the external component of the building and means that it is now
about 40 per cent complete.
Members may be interested to know some of the history of this
hospital and its funding. We have already been through what happened with
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and Fiona Stanley Hospital. This
hospital was promised to the people of Western Australia in September 2005 by
the former Minister for Health. He promised that he would have this 326-bed
hospital completed with up to 200 beds by 2010. By just May 2006, the
completion date had moved to 2011. We have seen a pattern of this with Fiona
Stanley Hospital. Every year the completion date was moved to a year later.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : By November
2007 —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.J. Kelly : Supercilious snoop.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, member for Bassendean. I call
you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
think I do resemble that remark!
Once again, in November 2007, the completion date was put out
to 2012. The government of the day had allocated $193 million to get the
project to the 300 beds it had talked about. That was nowhere near enough for a
project that has cost a total of $360 million.
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I call you to order
for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : To
get this project to the 307 public beds is part of the $7 billion we are
spending on extending health. The former government announced that it would
open in 2012, knowing that it was a three-year project. In May 2008, it was
talking about dates of tenders, well before the state election. With
construction starting in July 2008, well before the state election, what did we
find?
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order
for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
What did we find when we came to government? We expected construction of the
new hospital to be well underway, but there was nothing. There were no plans
and no designs and no tenders had been put out.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Absolutely nothing had been done to get that project to its completion.
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to
order for the first time. Minister, can you wind this up please?
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, Mr Speaker, I am just concluding by —
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Just to conclude, as usual, this government has got on with the
job.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Kwinana, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am trying to get this last sentence out.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana, I call you to order
for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
will try the last sentence again. As usual, this government has shown that when
it gets into government, it gets on with things. It gets them done and it meets
the commitments it made to the people of Western Australia, including Albany
Hospital, the Kalgoorlie Hospital upgrade, Busselton Hospital, the Midland
public hospital, Perth Children's Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital—$7
billion of construction.
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