Budget countdown

by Yvette Brand
In two weeks, the State Government will deliver its final budget for this term but the timeline for a promised new West Gippsland Hospital remains unclear.
New Minister for Health and local upper house Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing has again failed to provide an update or timeline for a new hospital.
Forty-two months ago, three weeks out from the 2022 election, Ms Shing stood beside then Premier Daniel Andrews who announced the ALP's commitment to a new hospital if re-elected.
It was a commitment with fine detail - $610 million to $675 million for a new hospital on the West Gippsland Healthcare Group's (WGHG) Drouin East site - 223 beds, a new aged care facility and accommodation for staff and medical students.
The timeline also was specific.
"This has been properly costed, planned and funded - further detailed design work will begin next year, construction will begin in 2024, it will be completed by 2028, patients and staff would move into that brand new hospital in 2029," the Premier said.
Since then, WGHG has continued to receive a dribble of funding announcements to maintain and improve the current 118-year-old infrastructure.
A $65 million allocation - shared with Wonthaggi for its stage two redevelopment - announced 10 days ago will be welcome relief for ongoing maintenance works.
The government indicated more than half of the $65 million would be injected into the hospital and Cooinda Lodge aged care facility to replace the roof and other critical infrastructure works.
But, the announcement did not cut it with Member for Narracan Wayne Farnham who described it as a "Band-Aid on a gaping wound."
"Fixing roof leaks is one thing but does not address the real problem with the hospital... It does not fix our overcrowded emergency department. It does not fix ambulance ramping. It does not fix our shortage of beds. It does not fix our shortage of birthing suites. It does not fix our aged care accommodation, the only thing that will fix these problems will be a new hospital," Mr Farnham said.
Last week, the Allan government announced construction was underway on a new $900 million Melton hospital; a $153 million women's health package to be delivered at Bendigo Women's Health Clinic; and, a $305 million redevelopment of Dandenong Hospital.
At the WGHG annual meeting in December, board chair Joanne Moorfoot confidently declared the new hospital "is coming." She said the board had worked closely with the State Government on planning for a new hospital.
But despite many pleas from Mr Farnham in parliament calling for a timeline, update and funding announcement, the State Government has continued to reinforce the same message - planning continues.
In light of the $65 million announcement the previous week and the upcoming state budget, The Gazette provided a series of questions to Ms Shing.
On her third day as Minister for Health, Ms Shing maintained the government line.
"We're supporting West Gippsland Hospital with a major boost so they can continue providing high-quality care whilst detailed planning for a new hospital continues," she said.
The Gazette asked:
Why have the timelines announced by Premier Andrews in October 2022 not been met?
Where is the planning and design process at?
Has a cost blowout delayed the project?
If the new hospital is not included in the May state budget, can it be considered a failed election promise?
Ms Shing said there was a "a significant pipeline of health infrastructure projects" in the state and the government was staging delivery of major hospital investments, "helping to make sure we balance these builds with our broader infrastructure agenda."
She said while the ALP was "planning, upgrading and building hospitals," a Liberal government would deliver health cuts.
"We know this because they closed 12 hospitals and sold off Mildura and Latrobe Regional Hospital, went to war with paramedics and tried to end nurse to patient ratios," she said.
The long awaited ALP election promise in October 2022 all but guaranteed a new hospital whatever the election result, with the Liberal-Nationals Coalition already re-pledging its 2018 funding commitment to a new hospital.
But, two weeks out from its final budget before November's state election, the project appears to be still in the planning and design stage - despite Premier Andrews declaring the project had been "properly costed, planned and funded" when he made his election promise.
The Nationals leader and Member for Gippsland South Danny O'Brien may have summed it up in Parliament on March 4 when he asked "Where's the money for WGH?" - "they have made a commitment to it but it is still not there. Where is the money?"