A Labor promise to deliver a hospital for Rouse Hill would help cater for the growing needs of the Hawkesbury area, according to its local candidate.
Opposition Leader Michael Daley has announced work would begin on a 300-bed, $700 million public hospital for Rouse Hill in the first term of a Labor state government, creating more than 1500 jobs during construction.
Hawkesbury Labor candidate Peter Reynolds has welcomed the announcement, saying he had heard “first hand why the Hawkesbury needs access to a public hospital”.
“In some cases western Sydney hospitals have reported patients waiting more than a year for elective surgery procedures such as cataract removal and orthopaedic surgery,” he said in a statement.
“The commitment signals Labor’s priorities are schools and hospitals, not spending $2.2 billion knocking down and rebuilding stadiums.”
Some locals expressed concern the announcement could signal changes to services at Hawkesbury Hospital, however Mr Reynolds said they would remain unchanged.
“I have spoken to the Shadow [Health] Minister’s office … and confirmed that all public health facilities at our Hawkesbury Hospital will continue unchanged,” he said. “Further, there will be no downgrade of these public facilities.
“The new hospital servicing the northwest will provide additional facilities for our growing community as well as help relieve pressure on Hawkesbury Hospital and hospital staff.”
The new hospital will provide emergency, diagnostic and outpatient services as well as specialist services for women and children, he said.
The hospital would include maternity services, obstetrics and paediatric wards, a special care nursery, and a women’s clinic, as well as an emergency department, operating theatres, oncology and outpatient services to treat residents in north-west Sydney.
Macquarie MP Susan Templeman also welcomed the announcement, saying local demand for services justified a new hospital.
“While Hawkesbury Hospital, as a private hospital providing public services, plays a vital role in health services in the region, the demand for services well and truly justifies a new public hospital being built,” she said in a statement. “I congratulate Hawkesbury Labor on raising this issue with the NSW Opposition, and I’m very pleased NSW Labor has listened to people on the ground about what’s needed in the Hawkesbury."
Health Services Unions (HSU) campaign manager Adam Hall said the union also welcomed the announcement.
But Liberal candidate for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston said Labor “just don’t do their homework”.
“Between 2016 and 2036, the population in the Hawkesbury is forecast to grow by 17,250. In contrast, the Greater Sydney Commission expects the populations in Blacktown and Parramatta to grow by more than 350,000 people, while the population in The Hills is forecast to grow by 125,350,” she said.
“The Berejiklian Government has committed $300 million to stage one of a new Rouse Hill Health Service, delivering critical and contemporary services to the area, while also responsibly investing in Blacktown and Parramatta. As with all major health projects, Rouse Hill will be completed in stages, so we can address priority needs first and further funding could be made available to adapt to changing community and clinical needs.
“Labor has failed to spell out where they’ll get the money to fulfil this promise, nor when it will be allocated. They had 16 years to build and renovate our hospitals – but time after time, they proved their promises weren’t worth the paper they were written on - promising a number of hospitals and delivering nothing.
“Also, Labor’s claim that their promise is the largest spend on health services in North-West Sydney ignores the fact NSW Liberals and Nationals have spent over $700 million redeveloping Mt Druitt and Blacktown Hospitals and another $1 billion at Westmead Hospital.”
