❓ Ms. Rowe asks about the impact of the Royal Perth Hospital announcement on healthcare access in the east metropolitan region. The Minister details the $1.5 billion Building Hospitals Fund and improvements to the hospital, while criticising the previous government's record on hospital development.
AnsweredQoN 606Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Building Hospitals Fund
606. Ms Cassie Rowe to
the Minister for Health Infrastructure:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment of ensuring that all Western Australians can
access the health care that they need when they need it. Can the minister
advise the house how the recent announcement about Royal Perth Hospital will
result in improved access to health care for people in the east metropolitan
region, including my electorate of Belmont?
606. Ms Cassie Rowe to
the Minister for Health Infrastructure:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment of ensuring that all Western Australians can
access the health care that they need when they need it. Can the minister
advise the house how the recent announcement about Royal Perth Hospital will
result in improved access to health care for people in the east metropolitan
region, including my electorate of Belmont?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for her question. As Western Australians know, last week we made a significant
investment decision in health infrastructure. We are providing an additional
$1.5 billion for the Building Hospitals Fund to take our expenditure in
building and upgrading hospitals across Western Australia to $4.7 billion. That
is a record in our state's history and it demonstrates the serious commitment
we are making in our hospital system. I joined the
Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Health at Royal Perth Hospital
to be provided with a first look at the completely new six-storey build
that will include an emergency department. That emergency department will
provide critical services for the member's region. It includes a bigger
emergency department with more bays to treat more patients. Obviously, there
will be improved connections to public transport, extra short-term parking and
better ambulance access. The additional storeys will provide additional bed
capacity.
As I have said, we
created the Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery. That body advised us to re-look
at projects so that we can build projects faster. We have made the decision to
move the emergency department at Royal Perth Hospital from below Wellington Street
to above Wellington Street because that will enable a faster, better build,
and, as I have described, it will meet those access questions. We can contrast
that with what happened during the former Liberal–National government.
In 2008, it promised—remember this—a $600 million development
of Royal Perth Hospital. What happened?
Several members
interjected.
Mr John Carey: Nothing. Zero. Zilch. It is a bit like
the Metro Area Express light rail—MAX!—and all those projects.
Mr Basil Zempilas: A bit like the racetrack.
Mr John Carey: It is interesting. The Leader of the
Liberal Party loves to throw it at us, but remember what happened with the
foreshore. He came out and said it was a big, bold project that should be
endorsed. He endorsed this big vision for the foreshore. When he was pressed
about costings—remember this—he said:
"The actual
costings it is hard to say," …
"You will see
a number of a billion dollars quoted. That's quoted because we don't want to
set unrealistic expectations."
The article goes on:
So is it worth it
and do the numbers add up by comparison? I think they do."
This Leader of the
Liberal Party backed in a river foreshore plan worth billions of dollars, which
he acknowledges, without knowing the cost, but he said the state should do it. What
hypocrisy from the Liberals and Nationals. He put forward a big plan for the
river foreshore with billions of dollars uncosted—he acknowledged that
he could not cost it—and backed it in. Instead, we are providing the $1.5
billion Building Hospitals Fund that will deliver on real projects such as Peel
Health Campus, purchasing the Mount Lawley hospital and, critically, unlike the
other side that never delivered on Royal Perth, a new emergency department.
for her question. As Western Australians know, last week we made a significant
investment decision in health infrastructure. We are providing an additional
$1.5 billion for the Building Hospitals Fund to take our expenditure in
building and upgrading hospitals across Western Australia to $4.7 billion. That
is a record in our state's history and it demonstrates the serious commitment
we are making in our hospital system. I joined the
Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Health at Royal Perth Hospital
to be provided with a first look at the completely new six-storey build
that will include an emergency department. That emergency department will
provide critical services for the member's region. It includes a bigger
emergency department with more bays to treat more patients. Obviously, there
will be improved connections to public transport, extra short-term parking and
better ambulance access. The additional storeys will provide additional bed
capacity.
As I have said, we
created the Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery. That body advised us to re-look
at projects so that we can build projects faster. We have made the decision to
move the emergency department at Royal Perth Hospital from below Wellington Street
to above Wellington Street because that will enable a faster, better build,
and, as I have described, it will meet those access questions. We can contrast
that with what happened during the former Liberal–National government.
In 2008, it promised—remember this—a $600 million development
of Royal Perth Hospital. What happened?
Several members
interjected.
Mr John Carey: Nothing. Zero. Zilch. It is a bit like
the Metro Area Express light rail—MAX!—and all those projects.
Mr Basil Zempilas: A bit like the racetrack.
Mr John Carey: It is interesting. The Leader of the
Liberal Party loves to throw it at us, but remember what happened with the
foreshore. He came out and said it was a big, bold project that should be
endorsed. He endorsed this big vision for the foreshore. When he was pressed
about costings—remember this—he said:
"The actual
costings it is hard to say," …
"You will see
a number of a billion dollars quoted. That's quoted because we don't want to
set unrealistic expectations."
The article goes on:
So is it worth it
and do the numbers add up by comparison? I think they do."
This Leader of the
Liberal Party backed in a river foreshore plan worth billions of dollars, which
he acknowledges, without knowing the cost, but he said the state should do it. What
hypocrisy from the Liberals and Nationals. He put forward a big plan for the
river foreshore with billions of dollars uncosted—he acknowledged that
he could not cost it—and backed it in. Instead, we are providing the $1.5
billion Building Hospitals Fund that will deliver on real projects such as Peel
Health Campus, purchasing the Mount Lawley hospital and, critically, unlike the
other side that never delivered on Royal Perth, a new emergency department.
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