- The fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan for the Princess Alexandra Hospital is powering ahead of schedule, with the final concrete pour to Building 1 marking structural completion.
- The hospital expansion will deliver 249 new overnight beds, new cancer treatment bays, and expanded pharmacy and medical imaging services thanks to the Hospital Rescue Plan.
- The expansion is expected to be complete a year earlier in mid-2027, after the project was originally delayed for two years because of Labor's CFMEU tax, with a cost blowout of $411 million under the former Government.
- After a decade of decline under Labor, the Crisafulli Government is getting on with delivering easier access to health services for Queenslanders.
Construction on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Expansion has reached a major milestone ahead of schedule – due to the fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan - as the Crisafulli Government forges ahead to deliver easier access to health services for Queenslanders.
The final concrete pour on Building 1 marks structural completion, paving the way for internal fit-out works and bringing Queenslanders one step closer to more beds and expanded services at one of the State's busiest tertiary hospitals.
The Hospital Rescue Plan identified multiple failures in the former Labor Government's Capacity Expansion Program, including a $411 million cost blowout, delays of at least two years, a failure to consider the challenges of delivering the project above the existing emergency department and risks related to the integration of technology and safety systems.
The $800 million expansion is expected to reach practical completion in mid-2027 and will deliver four new floors above the existing emergency department, adding 249 new inpatient beds and 13 cancer treatment bays, as well as expanded pharmacy and medical imaging services, and a refurbishment of the cardiac catheter lab's recovery area.
This expansion, which is now a year ahead of schedule after the Crisafulli Government removed Labor's controversial CFMEU tax, has been designed to meet growing demand for emergency, specialist and acute healthcare services across South East Queensland, while ensuring more Queenslanders can access the care they need sooner.
The project now includes a new $22 million support services contract to address critical omissions and failures left behind by Labor, including expanding essential back-of-house services such as the kitchen, pharmacy and medical records areas to ensure the hospital can safely and effectively support the additional beds and services. This Crisafulli Government has also delivered an additional $40 million to remediate significant mould discovered throughout the expansion space after years of neglected maintenance, leaking roofs and pipework failures under the former Labor Government.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital Expansion forms part of the Crisafulli Government's fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan, which is delivering more than 2,600 new beds, three new hospitals and expansions to 10 existing hospitals across Queensland.
While it will take time to heal Labor's Health Crisis, the Crisafulli Government has reduced the elective surgery waitlist to its lowest level since November 2023, while statewide ambulance ramping rates continue to trend downwards.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government was delivering easiest access to health services for Queenslanders. "After years of delays, poor planning and neglected maintenance under Labor, the Crisafulli Government is delivering the infrastructure Queenslanders need and getting critical projects moving again," Minister Nicholls said. "Thanks to our decision to axe the CFMEU tax and restore productivity on worksites, this project is progressing faster than expected which means these additional beds and services will be available for Queenslanders sooner. "Queenslanders can have confidence this project is being delivered with detailed clinical planning and a focus on ensuring the hospital can continue delivering world-class healthcare for decades to come.
"The Crisafulli Government's fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan is delivering more than 2,600 extra beds across Queensland and helping heal Labor's Health Crisis by improving access to healthcare services across the State." Metro South Health Chief Executive Noelle Cridland said the milestone reflected the strong collaboration between clinical and project teams. "Completing the final large concrete pour on the top level is a significant achievement and reflects the hard work of project partners, construction teams and hospital staff supporting the expansion," Ms Cridland said. "Our clinicians have worked closely with Health Infrastructure Queensland to co-design modern clinical spaces that will improve patient experience, support new models of care and increase our ability to deliver for Queensland's growing community."
