Today’s announcement that the new Women and Babies Hospital will be built at a different site more than two years after it was announced is an indictment on the McGowan Government’s ability to manage and deliver projects.
Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said while the new site may prove preferrable, none of the excuses listed to justify moving the site from Nedlands to Murdoch were new.
“Parking and disruption to patients has always been a factor in this site and should have been considered before the site was chosen for this vital project,” Ms Mettam said.
“It begs the question – what has the McGowan Government been doing for the past two years? Surely these issues would have been red flags very early on in the process.
“This is supposed to be the McGowan Government’s signature project from the last election, yet it has wasted years twiddling its thumbs and we are now back to square one.
“Meanwhile, the number of maternity bypasses continues to escalate as the current maternity services struggle to keep pace with demand.
“There were more than 320 bypasses in the 12 months to November last year yet there doesn’t appear to be any urgency to improve the existing infrastructure.
“The delay to this project due to a lack of basic planning is disappointing and points to a government that has been naval gazing instead of prioritising the delivery of this critical new Women and Babies Hospital.”
