Minister for Regional Development, Harriet Shing, has been caught lying to the Victorian community over the underfunding of key hospital infrastructure election commitments.
During the election campaign, Labor committed to fully fund seven healthcare facilities in Gippsland, Monash, Dandenong, Wonthaggi, Melbourne's east and Melbourne's north, at a cost of more than $4 billion.
West Gippsland Hospital, a $675 million commitment, was yesterday grouped with the six other health infrastructure announcements in the State Budget, for a combined $320 million investment over the next four years.
Despite this, Ms Shing in a social media post on Tuesday evening said:
"To get the very best healthcare, you need world-class hospitals. That's why in this year's budget we're investing $320 million towards starting early works for a new, state-of-the-art West Gippsland Hospital."
The post was accompanied by an image that said"we're investing $320 million to get the new West Gippsland Hospital underway" over an old image of the hospital.
Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier, said it was disgraceful the Minister had attempted to mislead the community about exactly what funding had been allocated in the State Budget.
"What's clear from the State Budget is that under Labor, Victoria is broke. The money allocated for these promised hospitals across the state will not see a brick laid," Ms Crozier said.
"While thousands of Victorians wait for vital surgery and can't get an ambulance, the government, desperate to cover up the dire state of Victoria's finances, is conning Victorians with PR and spin.
"Ms Shing should apologise to the community and immediately clarify how much will actually be provided for the delivery of West Gippsland Hospital."
Member for Narracan, Wayne Farnham, said his local community simply wanted to know how much funding from the $320 million was going towards West Gippsland Hospital.
"Given the full funding was not allocated in yesterday's State Budget, my community deserves to know whether a new hospital will be delivered on time," Mr Farnham said.
"Our community is growing rapidly and our hard-working healthcare workers need modern, fit for purpose facilities so they can continue to deliver the best outcomes for patients."
Background:
PROMISE |
ELECTION COMMITMENT ($M) |
BUDGET 23-24 ($M) |
West Gippsland Hospital |
675 |
320 |
Queen Elizabeth II Hospital |
1050 |
|
Northern Suburbs Hospital Plan |
1155 |
|
Monash Medical Centre |
560 |
|
Dandenong Hospital |
295 |
|
Wonthaggi Hospital |
290 |
|
TOTAL |
4025 |
320 |
Percentage Funded |
7.95% |
