The Allan Labor Government is one step closer to delivering the new Melton Hospital, with major construction now underway on the more than $900 million project.
Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Health Infrastructure Melissa Horne, Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas and Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt today turned the first sod on what will become a world-class hospital for people in Melbourne's fast-growing western suburbs.
With site preparation now complete works over the next six months will focus on:
- Excavation including rock breaking and soil removal
- Trenching for in-ground services to be installed
- Piling works and retaining wall construction
- Pouring of concrete footings and ground slabs, forming the foundations of the hospital, and
- Installation of the first tower crane.
The new Melton Hospital will have the capacity to treat 130,000 patients each year and see almost 60,000 patients in its 24-hour emergency department - supporting the communities of Melton, Caroline Springs, Rockbank, Bacchus Marsh and Gisborne.
It will also include at least 274 beds, an intensive care unit, mental health services, maternity and neonatal services, radiology services, outpatient care and teaching and training and research spaces.
The hospital is located on a 68,000 square metre site on Ferris Road - more than three times the size of the MCG - and is designed to meet the health needs of the community as it grows.
It will be an important addition to the hospital network in the west, working with Sunshine Hospital and the new $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital to reduce wait times across the region. It will also be Victoria's first fully electric hospital and will use carbon neutral power from day one of operations.
The project is expected to create more than 2,400 jobs during construction, and close to 4,000 health related jobs on-site in the hospital's first year. It is on track for completion in 2029.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"This is an important step as we get on and build a new hospital for families in our western suburbs - because only Labor invests in health and invests in the west."
As stated by Minister for Health Infrastructure Melissa Horne
"The new Melton Hospital will create thousands of local jobs during construction, and once complete will be a world-class addition to healthcare in Melbourne's outer west"
As stated by Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas
"This world-class hospital will not only give locals access to the best care, but it will create hundreds of new jobs and career opportunities in healthcare closer to home."
As stated by Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt
"The new hospital will include important mental health services - making it easier for people who require care to get the support they need, when they need it."
As stated by Member for Melton Steve McGhie
"It's exciting to see major construction start on this massive project - a significant step towards transforming Melton into a major hub for health, education, jobs and training."
