The Greens know from speaking to doctors, nurses, and other staff that the Royal Hobart Hospital can no longer to cope with demand now, let alone in the future. That’s why we’re so proud to announce our commitment to invest $55 million into planning for a new Hobart Hospital.
Staff have been very clear with us that while redevelopments at the Royal are welcome, they won’t be enough to make sure the hospital keep ups with community need in future. There just isn’t enough space on the hospital’s site. The big problems with the RHH and its location are why the Australian Medical Association has been calling for a new acute care hospital to be built in Hobart.
Tasmania’s health crisis is getting worse every year. We can’t keep putting our head in the sand, doing the same things, and expecting a different result. It is possible to make things better, but we need to see ambitious action.
With this announcement the Greens are committing to establish a New Hobart Hospital Development Unit with $40 million of funding immediately, and a further $5 million annually. This major investment reflects the huge amount of work that needs to be done to plan for a new hospital – things like stakeholder consultation, finding the right site, project scoping, design, and eventually developing a plan for construction. Providing significant funding upfront will give the Unit the flexibility it needs to do this work however it sees fit – and as efficiently as possible.
We aren’t trying to pretend that building a new hospital is not a huge, complex, and expensive project. It will absolutely require Federal Government support – but given they were happy to stump up hundreds of millions of dollars for a stadium, providing support for critical health infrastructure should be a no-brainer. Of course, the State Government will also need to bring in extra revenue by finally making big corporations their fair share.
The Greens recognise that health facilities across Tasmania desperately need investment. We also know the Hobart Hospital plays a central role in delivering critical health services to all Tasmanians, and that a new facility will have statewide benefits.
With community need growing, building a new hospital is unavoidable. It’s just a matter of when it’s done. We can either start the work now, or we can kick the can down the road while things in the health system keep getting worse.
The Liberal and Labor parties need to get their priorities sorted. Tasmania needs a new hospital, not a new stadium.
