Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (19:11): (1584) My action this evening is for the Minister for Health Infrastructure, and the action I seek is for an update on the progress and anticipated commencement of construction at the Monash Medical Centre redevelopment. This is a significant project for our local community. This will be in addition to what is one of the most substantial locations in Clayton, home to Victoria’s largest adult hospitals and one of the state’s busiest emergency departments and located alongside Monash Children’s Hospital. This is a teaching and research hospital very similar to the recently opened Frankston hospital, now known as Peninsula University Hospital. That was a significant $1.1 billion investment in health that has substantial benefits across the south-east. This is linked in there with Peninsula University, and you can see the hallmarks of Monash Health and Monash University coming together as some of the best researchers and clinical practices in the world. It is the envy of the world, and it is a fantastic example of health research coming together in clinical practice.

Recently I had the opportunity to join a stack of colleagues to celebrate the third anniversary of the Victorian Heart Hospital, the only heart hospital in Australia. This is a specialist cardiac service that has thousands of opportunities for cardiac surgeries and tens of thousands of emergency department presentations. It really adds to the support for cardiac care and health and wellbeing in our communities. Just the other day I got to travel out to Footscray. I got a visa from the member for Footscray, who showed me around the Footscray Hospital. And goodness me, what a redevelopment that is – again, clinical practice with the teaching and allied health from Victoria University interwoven and supported. But it is not just Victoria University, there are a range of other clinical practices as part of their research and outcomes. It was a privilege to hear the joy from patients both at Frankston and at Footscray Hospital and to see and hear from the clinicians at the Victorian Heart Hospital.

Imagine what the Monash Medical Centre upgrade will be. Over $500 million has been invested into the critical health outcomes. But it is not just about the built form; it is about the health workers that support the most vulnerable Victorians in their time of need and it is about backing those health workers. Tens of thousands have been added by the Allan Labor government over the time that we have been in government. There is also the support for wages growth – 28.7 per cent – and the backing of our nurses in nurse-to-patient ratios. This is putting action into practice. It is backing our health workers, not doing some of the things that we have seen previously, where literally the middle finger was given to the nurses who support our critical workforce here in Victoria. That is the history there – cuts, an $11.1 billion black hole and not investing in health – unlike what we have seen under the Allan Labor government.