Clarence Valley Health Services

Mr STEVE CANSDELL (Clarence) [6.05 p.m.]: This is not the first time I have spoken about health services in the Clarence Valley and on each of the previous occasions I had the same result: In 1999 and 2003 the Government broke its promises to provide $7 million to upgrade operating theatres at the Grafton Base Hospital. Thank goodness the Rudd Labor Government has bailed out the State Government with its $18 million commitment and its endorsement of the upgrade and redevelopment of the Grafton Base Hospital operating theatres. We have been told that it will cost approximately $12 million to upgrade the operating theatres. The money is available and the plan has been completed—it is ready to go ahead. According to the master plan, the Accident and Emergency Department should also be upgraded.

The money for that upgrade is included in the $18 million from the Rudd Labor Government, but if there is a shortfall the State Government will have to put its hand in its pocket and fund it. Money left over from the $7 million promised but never delivered would fund the completion of the Accident and Emergency at Grafton according to the master plan and any moneys left over should be used to redevelop the Accident and Emergency department at McLean Hospital. The headline in today's Clarence Valley Daily Examiner reads "Cough Up, Reba". The headline is appropriate because we are waiting for the Minister for Health to work out a funding arrangement with the Federal Government. The money was available before the election but the Howard Government put conditions on it. The Rudd Labor Government has imposed no conditions, so the money is available. The article stated:

Yesterday should have been a great day for the Grafton Base Hospital [GBH], but until the NSW Department of Health gives the go ahead on the upgrade, the $18 million will sit in the bank.

The State Government has known for months the Rudd Government had promised to formalise its $18 million pledge, but instead of responding to the Budget announcement with a starting date for the works, New South Wales Health Minister Reba Meagher said planning and consultation would continue.

The planning has continued and it is now finished. We need to sit down with the Federal Government and say, "Give us the money. Here are the plans. Let's go ahead and do it." We are waiting for the Government's commitment and the will to go ahead. The article continued:

"NSW Health has already started planning for the new facilities", Ms Meagher said. "As recently as yesterday, discussions took place between Canberra and the NSW Department of Health regarding the funding agreement."

GBH Medical Staff Council chairman, Dr Alan Tyson, said he agreed with Ms Meagher's comment that NSW Health had started planning.

Dr Tyson said that when he went to Grafton in 1994 the planning process was underway. Some 14 years later it is still underway. Plans have changed, budgets have changed but the money is available. The article continued:

"It is time to get on and do it", he said.

The article contends that the hospital is in dire straits. Staff have to be careful where they place equipment in the hospital, because it might fall through the floor. The hospital needs a major upgrade. I quote the comments of David Bancroft from the Daily Examiner:

We asked NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher a simple question yesterday: when will work start on the upgrade of the promised operating theatres and emergency department at the Grafton Base Hospital? Her answer was waffle.

She told us that Federal Government's announced funding was welcome. Obviously. She told us that planning had already started. That started more than a decade ago.

She told us the Grafton Base Hospital played an important role in delivering health services.

I nearly wanted to say, "Duh, of course it does."

And she told us admissions to the emergency department had increased.

We have been talking about that for five years.

Exactly. What she did not tell us was when work would start and if the State Government would provide the additional money needed for the projects to proceed.

We need answers, Ms Meagher, not platitudes, and we need them now.

The money is available. The Federal Government has provided $18 million to bail out the State Government, which must come up with a maximum of $3 million or $4 million to finish off the proper planning process for the operating theatres in accordance with the master plan for Grafton Base Hospital. At the same time it should complete the upgrading of the Accident and Emergency Department at McLean Hospital.