State MP for Bankstown, Tania Mihailuk, said despite the Government announcing its plans to build a new Bankstown Hospital three and a half years ago, a site for the new Bankstown Hospital has still not been selected, a Critical Services Plan has not been finalised, and no vision on what the hospital will look like has been released.
“Funding allocated for the new Bankstown Hospital in the 2022-23 Budget are merely funds that are being rolled over from the previous 2021-22 Budget,” she said.
“It’s confirmation that the NSW Government does not intend to actually deliver this project,” she said.
Ms Mihailuk says this is now the Coalition’s 12th budget, and the fourth budget since they dropped their pledge to build a new $1.3 billion Bankstown Hospital 10 days before the 2019 NSW State Election.
State MP for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis, also criticised the budget for “failing to deliver expanded hospital facilities”.
Ms Cotsis said the NSW Government had continued to ignore repeated requests for the expansion of Canterbury Hospital and the Sydney Local Health District’s Strategic Plan, which lists the redevelopment of the hospital as a major priority.
“But again the NSW Government has again ignored the needs of my community where a growing number of people are having to spend hours travelling to other hospitals for treatment, including renal dialysis, each week due to the lack of facilities at Canterbury Hospital,” she said.
“My community deserves better. Those who rely on the services at the hospital deserve better.
“The staff at the hospital are overwhelmed, we do not have adequate infrastructure to meet the increased demands.”
Premier Dominic Perrottet says the budget sets out a transformational roadmap for the decade ahead, “delivering not just for our people today, but for generations to come”, highlighting the $33 billion investment in health; $16.5 billion to break the barriers for women, affordable and accessible childcare and a universal year of prekindergarten in the year before school; $7.2 billion in cost-of-living measures; and $728.6 million for tax reform to help people own their first home.
No budget for local hospitals
THE health needs of the community have again been ignored with the State Government’s budget “failing to deliver” on the long-overdue upgrade to Canterbury Hospital and new proposed $1.3 billion Bankstown Hospital.