❓ Question regarding the Cook Labor government's Byford health hub and its innovative, community-based care approach. The Minister details the project's scope, services, and timeline, while also criticising the previous government's health record and addressing interjections from the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 313Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Byford health hub313.Mr Terry Healyto
theMinister for Health Infrastructure:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering world-class health infrastructure
in Western Australia.Can the minister
advise the house how the recently announced Byford health hub will provide
innovative, community-based care for the people in the community?
theMinister for Health Infrastructure:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering world-class health infrastructure
in Western Australia.Can the minister
advise the house how the recently announced Byford health hub will provide
innovative, community-based care for the people in the community?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
13 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr John Carey replied:I thank the member
for his question. We are delivering a big, bold health infrastructure program
that is worth $3.2 billion and will be across the state. I have talked before
about the incredible transformation that we are seeing, like the Premier
outlined, in terms of the major redevelopment of Bunbury Hospital, the single
biggest regional redevelopment, worth more than $400 million in investment, and
even smaller projects like Laverton Hospital, which is critical to that local
community, or the contract to lock in for Mullewa Hospital. We look across this
state and we see that there is substantial investment in our hospital
infrastructure. Already to date, we have added over 900 beds and we have a
pipeline of new hospital upgrades, expansion and construction to produce
hundreds and hundreds of more beds and build the capacity into the system. One
of those was an election commitment that we made to the Byford health hub. I am
really pleased to say that we have just released the tender for construction of
the $42.2 million project to five companies that were successfully shortlisted
following an expression of interest. This critical hub demonstrates the wide
scope that we are taking with the health system. It will provide a single entry
point for local residents to access a range of primary care and community,
social and specialist health services in one location. It will include a mix of
services by private providers, not-for-profit groups and WA Health. Patients
will have access to a range of health outpatient services. This is really
important. The tenders will close on 28 August. It is on track for delivery in
2027. It is these kinds of projects that demonstrate the width and breadth of
delivery.I note and want to
back in also that what we see from the other side is a campaign of
misinformation. It says, "Don't look at our record." But we have to
look at the previous government's record. We can keep going back to the great
example of Royal Perth Hospital, when in 2008, it committed, I think, $600
million, and by 2016, it said it was doing a bit of maintenance. That is the
previous government's history. It privatised, cut and saw a reduction in
staffing. That is its record. That is its history and its approach. I believe
in our health system.Mr Lachlan Hunter:Is it world-class?The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr John Carey:But what we saw from the Leader of the
Liberal Party—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr John Carey:—I should say former Leader of
the Liberal Party—is that she did not compare like for like. One of her
researchers ran out and said, "We've got them. We've got a gotcha moment
here", and did not check the figures and facts. She did not.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition!Mr John Carey:This is classic: She took one figure
and did not compare it like for like. The figure that she used included
PathWest. Then she got another figure that did not include that. Her research
team—Mr Lachlan Hunter:Is it world-class?The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Minister, this way. Member for Central
Wheatbelt, if you want to get up and ask a question, you might get the
opportunity, and maybe someone on the opposition will get the opportunity to
ask another one. But if you keep interjecting the way you are, that will not
happen.Carry on, minister,
and please conclude your comments.Mr John Carey:I am not going to have the member yell
and scream at me. Yesterday, the member made commentary about a female
politician's clothes. That was a low for the member. How low can the member go?
Imagine if anyone else did that. But the member can do it. That is the member's
standard. That is what the member does.Mr Lachlan Hunter:I am just backing the
Premier.Mr John Carey:No. This is extraordinary. The member
screams and yells and is very happy to make commentary about a female
politician's attire for budget day. How low and what shame the member has. The
member has been warned. He makes personal attack and personal attack. Does the
member think it is acceptable? Does the member think it is acceptable?Ms Sandra Brewer:You call people buckets, minister!Point of orderThe Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, points of order
will be heard in silence.Mr Shane Love:The minister was responding to a
question and it has turned into some sort of critique of the behaviour of the
member for Central Wheatbelt.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Shane Love:That is not part of the minister's
administrative responsibility. He should refrain from that and return to the
question. I ask him directly to do so.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members, Treasurer and Member for Central
Wheatbelt, points of order will be heard in silence. Did anyone hear what the
Leader of the National Party raised?Mr John Carey:Yes.The Speaker:Yes, I did, too. I will not uphold that
point of order. Minister, I ask you to conclude your comments very quickly.Questions without notice resumedMr John Carey:Sure. I was just saying that it is all very
well and good for that member to interject, yell, scream and carry on at every
opportunity, yet when the member does something that is sexist and misogynistic,
he does not like being called out. The point I am making is that we have seen
now again and again that the Liberal Party of WA lies and misrepresents health
data. It is either because of its staff's poor research or it is deliberate. The
Liberal Party of WA lies about health data.
Byford health hub
for his question. We are delivering a big, bold health infrastructure program
that is worth $3.2 billion and will be across the state. I have talked before
about the incredible transformation that we are seeing, like the Premier
outlined, in terms of the major redevelopment of Bunbury Hospital, the single
biggest regional redevelopment, worth more than $400 million in investment, and
even smaller projects like Laverton Hospital, which is critical to that local
community, or the contract to lock in for Mullewa Hospital. We look across this
state and we see that there is substantial investment in our hospital
infrastructure. Already to date, we have added over 900 beds and we have a
pipeline of new hospital upgrades, expansion and construction to produce
hundreds and hundreds of more beds and build the capacity into the system. One
of those was an election commitment that we made to the Byford health hub. I am
really pleased to say that we have just released the tender for construction of
the $42.2 million project to five companies that were successfully shortlisted
following an expression of interest. This critical hub demonstrates the wide
scope that we are taking with the health system. It will provide a single entry
point for local residents to access a range of primary care and community,
social and specialist health services in one location. It will include a mix of
services by private providers, not-for-profit groups and WA Health. Patients
will have access to a range of health outpatient services. This is really
important. The tenders will close on 28 August. It is on track for delivery in
2027. It is these kinds of projects that demonstrate the width and breadth of
delivery.I note and want to
back in also that what we see from the other side is a campaign of
misinformation. It says, "Don't look at our record." But we have to
look at the previous government's record. We can keep going back to the great
example of Royal Perth Hospital, when in 2008, it committed, I think, $600
million, and by 2016, it said it was doing a bit of maintenance. That is the
previous government's history. It privatised, cut and saw a reduction in
staffing. That is its record. That is its history and its approach. I believe
in our health system.Mr Lachlan Hunter:Is it world-class?The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr John Carey:But what we saw from the Leader of the
Liberal Party—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr John Carey:—I should say former Leader of
the Liberal Party—is that she did not compare like for like. One of her
researchers ran out and said, "We've got them. We've got a gotcha moment
here", and did not check the figures and facts. She did not.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition!Mr John Carey:This is classic: She took one figure
and did not compare it like for like. The figure that she used included
PathWest. Then she got another figure that did not include that. Her research
team—Mr Lachlan Hunter:Is it world-class?The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Minister, this way. Member for Central
Wheatbelt, if you want to get up and ask a question, you might get the
opportunity, and maybe someone on the opposition will get the opportunity to
ask another one. But if you keep interjecting the way you are, that will not
happen.Carry on, minister,
and please conclude your comments.Mr John Carey:I am not going to have the member yell
and scream at me. Yesterday, the member made commentary about a female
politician's clothes. That was a low for the member. How low can the member go?
Imagine if anyone else did that. But the member can do it. That is the member's
standard. That is what the member does.Mr Lachlan Hunter:I am just backing the
Premier.Mr John Carey:No. This is extraordinary. The member
screams and yells and is very happy to make commentary about a female
politician's attire for budget day. How low and what shame the member has. The
member has been warned. He makes personal attack and personal attack. Does the
member think it is acceptable? Does the member think it is acceptable?Ms Sandra Brewer:You call people buckets, minister!Point of orderThe Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, points of order
will be heard in silence.Mr Shane Love:The minister was responding to a
question and it has turned into some sort of critique of the behaviour of the
member for Central Wheatbelt.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Shane Love:That is not part of the minister's
administrative responsibility. He should refrain from that and return to the
question. I ask him directly to do so.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members, Treasurer and Member for Central
Wheatbelt, points of order will be heard in silence. Did anyone hear what the
Leader of the National Party raised?Mr John Carey:Yes.The Speaker:Yes, I did, too. I will not uphold that
point of order. Minister, I ask you to conclude your comments very quickly.Questions without notice resumedMr John Carey:Sure. I was just saying that it is all very
well and good for that member to interject, yell, scream and carry on at every
opportunity, yet when the member does something that is sexist and misogynistic,
he does not like being called out. The point I am making is that we have seen
now again and again that the Liberal Party of WA lies and misrepresents health
data. It is either because of its staff's poor research or it is deliberate. The
Liberal Party of WA lies about health data.
Byford health hub
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