MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper has called for an informed discussion regarding the future of Mildura Base Public Hospital.
The below can be attributed to her:
There’s not much point speculating about the location and cost until we have the evidence.
That’s the job of the Masterplan which I expect to be released soon.
Community expectations were set sky high by the Liberal Party’s announcement of a $750 million commitment for a new hospital on a new site, but what if this can’t be done for $750 million?
Does the Liberal Party have a commitment from the Federal Labor Government to cover the shortfall?
If the Masterplan showed that a greenfield build could not be done for $750 million, would the Liberal Party accept a redevelopment as a second option, or abandon the project altogether?
Alternatively, would they press on with a costing they know to be inadequate? Hopefully not, given an inadequate costing was the reason for the disastrous outcome for the Murray Basin Rail Project.
My concern is that we are getting away from the original intention of the $2 million Masterplan which was “to plan for the future redevelopment of the Mildura Base Hospital”.
The interest and discussion around the new hospital is positive, but I don’t want to see expectations spiralling out of control. We should not lose sight of how far we have come in such a short time.
For 20 years our hospital was a pariah in the State, abandoned and neglected by successive Governments. And in just three and a half years of being an Independent-held seat, we’ve completely changed the game.
The hospital was brought back into public management and we secured the money for the Masterplan.
What began as a conversation about a redevelopment has suddenly morphed into a zero-sum ultimatum about a greenfield site or nothing at all.
I’ll reserve judgement about the cost and location of the project until the masterplan is released and will consult with local doctors and hospital staff about the plan’s findings.
If the masterplan recommends a new location for the hospital, in consultation with doctors and staff, I’ll back that in.
If it recommends a new hospital on the existing site, in consultation with doctors and staff, I’ll back that in.
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