Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 Bronwyn HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (14:33): (1723) My question is for the Minister for Health Infrastructure, and the question I ask is: when will construction start on the new, bigger emergency department at the Northern Hospital? The Labor government has heavily invested in the Northern Hospital over the past 10 years. We have many big new hospital towers that have more beds, specialist clinics, more allied health services, the women’s health clinic, a public health fertility clinic, more maternity wards and more wards for children. We also have the mental health hospital, which is also supporting our community. However, the emergency department, the busiest in Australia, really needs to cater for more and more people who see the light and come to live in the northern suburbs. While the pressure can be alleviated by the virtual emergency department and the urgent care clinic at Epping Plaza Medical, we certainly still need a bigger emergency department.