❓ Question regarding the contribution of the new Midland Public Hospital to the Midland precinct. The Minister's answer is highly political, defending the government's role in the hospital's development and questioning the opposition's new 'hub' concept.
AnsweredQoN 113Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MIDLAND PUBLIC HOSPITAL
113. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the Minister for
Health:
We heard the Leader of the
Opposition speak last week about the concept of developing metropolitan hubs.
Can the minister please inform the Parliament how the new Midland Public
Hospital will contribute to Midland, particularly as a precinct?
113. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the Minister for
Health:
We heard the Leader of the
Opposition speak last week about the concept of developing metropolitan hubs.
Can the minister please inform the Parliament how the new Midland Public
Hospital will contribute to Midland, particularly as a precinct?
AnswerView source ↗
It is interesting that the Leader of
the Opposition suddenly comes up with the new concept of ''hubs''.
It was interesting to hear the member for Bassendean in his speech last week—sadly,
I do not think my interjection was recorded—trying to claim some sort
of credit for the new Midland hospital. At that time he was only dreaming about
being in Parliament.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : We got the federal funding for it, and you know that.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is absolutely not true! I am so glad the member said that, because we got
that funding not only for Midland Public Hospital, but also the other centre.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Federal Labor funded it!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It was the federal Labor government, not
the state Labor government. The member for Midland is trying to claim credit
for it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We can take up that point later.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The member for Bassendean was only dreaming
about being a member of Parliament at that stage. I will tell the members what
happened, just to put the record straight. When we were in opposition and the
state Labor government was promising to redevelop Swan District Hospital on the
existing site, in the lead-up to the state election we announced that we would
build a brand-new hospital in Midland. Guess what? Four weeks later, in the
lead-up to the 2008 election, the Labor government suddenly changed its policy,
which was a bit like what it did with the poor old member for Albany. Alan Carpenter
was running down to Albany in the last week of the campaign, promising that his
government would build a new hospital because that is what we had promised. The
Carpenter government was going to refurbish the old hospital.
Midland Public Hospital will be a hub for Midland; it will create a
great precinct with 307 public beds, 60 private beds, and provide a large
number of local employment opportunities. There will be an increase of 50 per
cent in employment numbers compared with the old hospital. This will be a great
contributor to Midland.
I recall what happened 20 years ago when I was a councillor in the City
of Bayswater. As a collective group of councillors, we developed the Morley
precinct. We negotiated with developers of Morley Galleria. We changed the
zoning for that whole region and increased zoning density around the railway
station for Embleton and Morley Galleria.
Several members interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The member should be on her feet calling a
point of order, but she is too late because I am finished!
We were planning those things 20 years ago, and now the Labor Party has
suddenly got this bright idea, ''Let's have some hubs!''
the Opposition suddenly comes up with the new concept of ''hubs''.
It was interesting to hear the member for Bassendean in his speech last week—sadly,
I do not think my interjection was recorded—trying to claim some sort
of credit for the new Midland hospital. At that time he was only dreaming about
being in Parliament.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : We got the federal funding for it, and you know that.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
That is absolutely not true! I am so glad the member said that, because we got
that funding not only for Midland Public Hospital, but also the other centre.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Federal Labor funded it!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It was the federal Labor government, not
the state Labor government. The member for Midland is trying to claim credit
for it.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : We can take up that point later.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The member for Bassendean was only dreaming
about being a member of Parliament at that stage. I will tell the members what
happened, just to put the record straight. When we were in opposition and the
state Labor government was promising to redevelop Swan District Hospital on the
existing site, in the lead-up to the state election we announced that we would
build a brand-new hospital in Midland. Guess what? Four weeks later, in the
lead-up to the 2008 election, the Labor government suddenly changed its policy,
which was a bit like what it did with the poor old member for Albany. Alan Carpenter
was running down to Albany in the last week of the campaign, promising that his
government would build a new hospital because that is what we had promised. The
Carpenter government was going to refurbish the old hospital.
Midland Public Hospital will be a hub for Midland; it will create a
great precinct with 307 public beds, 60 private beds, and provide a large
number of local employment opportunities. There will be an increase of 50 per
cent in employment numbers compared with the old hospital. This will be a great
contributor to Midland.
I recall what happened 20 years ago when I was a councillor in the City
of Bayswater. As a collective group of councillors, we developed the Morley
precinct. We negotiated with developers of Morley Galleria. We changed the
zoning for that whole region and increased zoning density around the railway
station for Embleton and Morley Galleria.
Several members interjected.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The member should be on her feet calling a
point of order, but she is too late because I am finished!
We were planning those things 20 years ago, and now the Labor Party has
suddenly got this bright idea, ''Let's have some hubs!''
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