Thursday, 2 May 2024

Eastern Victoria Region

Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:45): (829) Labor promised Pakenham a hospital. In a media release they said construction is expected to start in 2022 and be completed in 2024, but today where the hospital should stand there is a derelict building that is completely empty, covered in graffiti and not even safe. So despite these promises, no work has been done, and by looking at the site it looks like no work is going to be done. Last week I was contacted by several constituents who said they were not able to access the health care they needed, and the delayed care led to poor health outcomes. With the budget coming up, reports have indicated that we are going to see hospitals forced to amalgamate due to Labor’s mismanagement. So my question for the Minister for Health is: is Pakenham still getting a hospital – if so, when, and if not, why?