Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (19:15): (1675) I am going to proceed at a more leisurely pace here. My adjournment matter this evening is for the Premier. The action I seek is for the government to get on and build the Maroondah Hospital redevelopment it promised to my community. At the 2022 election the Victorian government committed more than $1 billion to the full redevelopment of Maroondah Hospital. It was a major promise to a community that relies on this hospital every single day. Patients, healthcare workers and local families were told a modern, world-class hospital was on the way. Today that promise appears to be disappearing before our eyes. The recent state budget contains no funding to deliver the redevelopment – none. There is no construction timetable. There is no commencement date. There is no certainty for the community that was promised this project.

What there has been, however, is a whole lot of ducking and weaving. Whenever I ask questions about the future of Maroondah Hospital, ministers refuse to give a straight answer. Rather than fronting up and taking responsibility, the government prefers to hide behind anonymous spokespeople and carefully crafted media lines. Meanwhile, residents are left wondering whether the biggest healthcare promise ever made to Melbourne’s east has simply been abandoned.

My office continues to hear from residents who feel angry, disappointed and betrayed. They remember the announcements, they remember the promises and they remember being told a new hospital was coming, and they will never forget the betrayal. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers continue to provide outstanding care in ageing facilities that were meant to be replaced – they have my deep respect. Patients continue to rely on infrastructure that is failing – they have my sympathies. The government can only duck and weave – they have my contempt. The people of Melbourne’s east do not need more spin. They do not need more talking points. They do not need more snarky commentary from anonymous government spokespeople. They just need the government to honour its commitment. Premier, the people of Melbourne’s east deserve the truth. It is time to either get on and deliver on this promise or just come clean.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind members about unparliamentary language.