Tuesday, 12 August 2025

 Dylan WIGHT (Tarneit) (13:00): Access to high-quality, effective health care is absolutely essential, particularly in Melbourne’s west, where our population is growing rapidly. To keep pace, we need to expand our local hospitals and increase their capacity to care for our community. Werribee Mercy Hospital has been serving our community for many years, and it is vital that it has the space and resources to meet rising demand. The latest expansion of the emergency department is set to be complete next year and will support an additional 25,000 patients through that emergency department each and every year, a major boost to local health care. With four new resuscitation bays, 16 short-stay beds and 36 emergency care cubicles, this expansion will ease pressure and allow doctors, nurses and allied health workers to deliver the best possible care.

Last week I had the pleasure of joining students from the Grange P–12 College to visit the Werribee Mercy construction site. We toured the works currently underway and heard from a panel of inspiring women leading the project. They shared insights into their roles and spoke to students about their career pathways in construction and engineering. It is always fantastic to hear from the workers bringing major projects to life, and it is even better to see young people engaging with these opportunities and imagining their own futures in these fields. A big thankyou to the incredible construction and healthcare teams at Werribee Mercy. Your work is helping build a healthier, stronger future for our community.