Wednesday, 21 February 2024

Peninsula Health

Report 2021–22

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:28): I rise to speak on the Peninsula Health report from 2021–22. Peninsula Health is a major public health provider in my region, providing care for my constituents, particularly those in the Frankston, Carrum and Cranbourne electorates. The Allan Labor government is delivering critical and transformative changes to the region with the $1.1 billion redevelopment of Frankston Hospital, an unprecedented investment into the future health and wellbeing of my constituents in the south-east. The new facility will add capacity to treat approximately 35,000 more patients each year, cutting wait times and reducing pressure on other nearby Melbourne hospitals, especially those in the south-east.

This redevelopment is also creating thousands of jobs, with a workforce in the hundreds and the entire redevelopment set to create up to 1700 local jobs, right from construction to new opportunities in the hospital once it is re-operational. The redevelopment will deliver a new tower with 12 levels of clinical services; 130 more beds; a new main entrance and hospital street to connect new and existing facilities; new operating theatre suites with 15 theatres; new spaces for mental health and oncology services; new inpatient units; a new medical imaging department; a rooftop helipad; more than 600 car parks; a new kitchen and expanded logistics zone; expanded women’s and children’s services, including new maternity, obstetrics and paediatric wards, a women’s clinic and a special care nursery; and a refurbished and expanded emergency department, including a new mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub and a dedicated paediatric zone as well as shelf space for future expansion.

The redevelopment will also provide extra community benefits, including a new community centre, a childcare centre, extensive landscaping and connection to nearby Beauty Park, new bus stops, a new pedestrian crossing on Yuille Street, new traffic lights at the intersection at Hastings Road, retail and food services for visitors and staff and improved staff amenities. I recently had the privilege of visiting the worksite to see just how much progress has been made, and it is quite remarkable, the absolute scale of the project once you get up there and look from one of the cranes down upon the entire site. Hundreds of people are working to make this wonderful new hospital a reality.

This could not have happened of course without the strong advocacy of local members such as that of Paul Edbrooke, the member for Frankston, who has been a tireless advocate for this project and for his community, as indeed have been the member for Carrum Sonya Kilkenny and the member for Hastings Paul Mercurio. I would like to acknowledge their work, particularly that of Mr Edbrooke, in advocating for this project.

Any discussion of fierce local advocates in the Frankston area has to of course acknowledge the late, great Peta Murphy, who was such a strong voice for her community. She worked hard on so many projects, including the Frankston Hospital redevelopment, and it was a real privilege to work with her. We all deeply, deeply miss her. As part of the redevelopment, the new Peta Murphy breast imaging suite at Frankston Hospital is, to say the least, a fitting tribute to her service to the community. This $4.5 million suite, which has been funded by the state government, is the first public diagnostic breast imaging service in the Peninsula Health region, and it is going to provide local access to mammography, ultrasound and biopsy right in the heart of Frankston. Around 2400 mammograms are expected to be delivered at the centre annually.

Dunkley still deserves a strong advocate, and that is why I am so thrilled to be supporting Jodie Belyea, who is running to stand in Peta Murphy’s place. She is a fantastic local community-driven person who has been standing up for her community in supporting disadvantaged women across the south-east for many years. She has the skills, she has the know-how. Most importantly, though, she has the ethics and she has the passion to stand in Peta’s place, and she is standing to put her name up to be the next federal member for Dunkley. I wish her all the best as well.

There are many areas of health infrastructure that this Allan Labor government is investing in right across my region, let alone the rest of the state. The Frankston Hospital redevelopment is one cornerstone of our investment in health infrastructure in the south-east.