Thursday, 18 August 2022

Health system

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (09:39): Yesterday’s announcement of a Liberal-National focus on fixing the health crisis and diverting $35 billion into hospitals that are falling apart versus a railway line to nowhere is a clear choice for Victorians. I am very proud that this all started at Caulfield Hospital, a hospital that is over 100 years old, a hospital that repatriated 18 000 war veterans and has hardly seen a dollar spent on it since, a hospital that is in desperate need of repair and will only be repaired under a Guy government after November. This is a clear choice for all Victorians.

We have a hospital that has an old breezeway that has been cordoned off for safety reasons. We have a hospital that has a hydrotherapy pool that has been closed for two years and was providing essential rehabilitation for so many of my locals. What we will do is consult with Caulfield residents to ensure we get the best outcome in hospital and healthcare services for them. The choice is clear in November: do you want the health system fixed or do you want more budget blowouts and overruns by a government that cannot manage money? There is a $125 billion blowout on the Suburban Rail Loop before a shovel has even hit the ground. This is a government that is tired and cannot manage money, whereas the Liberals will fix the health system.