Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Daylesford hospital

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (20:43): (907) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health. The action that I seek is for the minister to allocate a minimum of $75 million in funding from the 2024–25 budget for redevelopment of the Daylesford hospital. In the lead-up to the 2022 Victorian election the Liberal Party committed to investing $75 million to redevelop Daylesford hospital if elected to government. In response a generous community bank pledged to add $750,000 of their own towards the hospital on the condition that whoever was elected followed through with an investment of $75 million. Unfortunately, Labor was elected and has failed to make any significant investment in the Daylesford hospital. Labor has so neglected this health service that the community had to fundraise $100,000 themselves to pay for a master plan for the hospital’s redevelopment.

I applaud the generosity of the local community, who have an incredible reputation for actively supporting local health services with frequent donations and bequests. Not only did they fund their own master plan, but they have also raised money to pay for new medical equipment and expanded services – that is an incredible effort by the local community. But what a shame the Labor government will not properly fund this health service in the health minister’s own electorate. The chair of the Daylesford Hospital upgrade appeal committee expressed her dismay with the condition of the hospital, saying that:

… in 2022 we have a hospital facility … where the staff is great, the services are terrific … that has a roof that leaks in poor weather.

The existing facilities at Daylesford Hospital have not been upgraded for well over 20 years and are in desperate need of refurbishment and improvement. $4.5 million was announced three years ago for an upgraded operating theatre, but over a year later nothing had been done – they needed more money. Then another $1.6 million of top-up funding was announced in March 2023, with the Minister for Health and local member Mary-Anne Thomas saying the theatre upgrade would be complete in March 2024.

But the real issue is not the long delay in getting the operating theatre finished, the issue is that in the latest budget the state Labor government has once again overlooked the need for investment in the Daylesford Hospital. This is despite the hospital having a well-designed redevelopment master plan, which has wide community support and was seen and approved with changes by the Victorian Health Building Authority. The master plan is there waiting to be implemented, with staged upgrades for the gradual improvement of the hospital over time, and yet no new money has been allocated for this vital health service. The Age reported that the budget contains $6.4 billion that has been set aside for future promises but not allocated to a specific purpose, and I urge the minister to allocate a minimum of $75 million of this to the redevelopment of the Daylesford Hospital.