Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Pauline RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (19:04): (1730) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Health in the other place, and the action I seek is that the minister visits the Cranbourne Community Hospital to speak to my neighbours about the consequences of a Liberal–National–One Nation coalition. It has been a while since I have reminded the chamber that the last time the Liberal Party held the seat of Cranbourne they privatised the local ambulance service. Yes, that is right: it was the only one in the state that was privatised. I am disappointed the member for Melton is not here, because he is able to attest firsthand that when the Liberal Party privatised the ambulance service, that meant there was not enough equipment for the ambos. This is what the Liberal Party do; it is in their DNA. But of course now that they have plans to join One Nation and make themselves this Liberal–One Nation coalition, there is some more certainty – awful certainty – for my community if that happens.

In the lead-up to the Nepean by-election One Nation let the cat out of the bag in their plan to privatise the Rosebud Hospital. And of course Mrs Hermans in the other place has declared that the Cranbourne Community Hospital is not a real hospital. Our beautiful community hospital opened last October with dental, dialysis, ophthalmology, including an extraordinary surgeon whose communication skills match the steadiness of her hand, and so much more. Our hospital’s mental health services are just as important, and it is not long until the urgent care clinic opens. They have said the quiet bit out loud: if the One Nation–Liberal coalition are successful, they will privatise our beautiful new hospital as a way of responding to their commitment to $40 billion in cuts. Those opposite and their coalition partners need to keep their hands off our hospitals. I look forward to the minister’s response and her visit to Cranbourne.