MODBURY HOSPITAL

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:40): I rise today to speak about the Modbury Hospital. I have been working closely in the community served by the Modbury Hospital for the entire time I have been in this parliament, and indeed before that. There has been constant concern and confusion within those communities about the direction in which this government is taking the hospital. Particularly since the decision to take back management within state government from the private sector, it has largely been one step forward and two back for the Modbury Hospital.

The recent situation regarding the paediatric ward is just another example. As members would know, there is a $17.4 million redevelopment of the Modbury Hospital emergency department. Stage 1 of the redevelopment has been completed and the next stage, which will see works commence inside the existing department, has now commenced. On 22 February this year, in a news release put out by the Minister for Health's office, the member for Florey said:

It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for staff and the almost 40,000 patients who attend the Emergency Department each year at Modbury Hospital.

In the same press release it states, 'The final phase will include a four-bay paediatric area.' However, on the ABC 891 breakfast program last Friday 14 June, the member for Florey stated:

I don't know more than you know, I heard the announcement last night, I'm waiting for briefings to come through this morning so that I know what we're dealing with...I need to get a grip of what's going on.

In the same interview with Matt and Dave on ABC 891, the member for Florey states:

...what they're talking about is not maintaining the beds that were 23 hour care beds...I don't see that it's going to change a great deal...I can't maintain services of every variety at every hospital throughout the state...I can't fight to have a full ward maintained...

It seems to me that the member for Florey, who was elected the same year I was elected on a very pro-save Modbury Hospital program run against the then private management of the hospital, has failed on many occasions in her supposed advocacy for the Modbury Hospital.

We know that she slept in the car park of Modbury Hospital to attempt to save obstetrics at the hospital, and she has tried to stop paid parking at the hospital, and both have failed, if not in full at least in part. The Minister for Health (Hon. Jack Snelling), whose electorate of course has significant connections to Modbury, has also said some things about the paediatric ward. He has described it as a 'paediatric ward' earlier in the year, but now we hear the government talking about a 'paediatric area' or a 'paediatric bay'. In fact, the member for Newland said:

This will be a bigger and better emergency department that the people of the north-eastern suburbs deserve.

What the people of the north-eastern suburbs actually got was the proposed closure of the paediatric ward, and misleading information from the health minister and local members, who will not stand up for the local families in their electorates who will be hurt by this closure. I noted that in the last sitting week, the Minister for Health, the Hon. Jack Snelling, actually described Frances Bedford as 'a champion for Modbury Hospital'. If that is the sort of champion Modbury Hospital gets, then I think we could do without champions.

There are a number of Liberal candidates in the north-eastern suburbs who are very concerned about Modbury Hospital, who understand the program that we have seen with the closure of maternity and children's services back in 2007. Nothing changes; this government does not have Modbury as its highest priority, and I urge members to indicate their concern.