‘Putting lives at risk': Slim budget allocation sets back dire hospital developments

West Australian

21-06-2025

The State Budget contained just $10 million to revamp emergency departments at Royal Perth Hospital and Midland Hospital, prompting fears the projects won't be delivered for years.
Both the Opposition and the Australian Medical Association have raised concerns about when these projects — promised at the recent State election — will happen, saying the Perth health system needs help now.
AMA WA president Dr Michael Page said the health system needed thousands more beds — and could not afford to wait years for upgrades to the emergency departments at both hospitals.
'It (having only $5m allocated for each project) would indicate that they are not planning to do any building work within the next 12 months, and that's concerning,' Dr Page said.
'For all the talk of these projects going some way towards addressing the stress that the health system is under, even if that is a questionable proposition, if no building is going to commence in the next 12 months then when are we looking at any improvement in health system performance?
'It's years away when the problem is right now. There is an urgency with the public health system that is not being addressed.'
The $104m upgrade at RPH and the $105m upgrade at Midland Hospital were both lauded by Labor in the lead up to the March election.
Opposition health spokesperson Libby Mettam said it was particularly galling that Labor's $217m racetrack and entertainment precinct at Burswood had been fully funded in Thursday's State Budget.
'Labor's misplaced priorities are putting lives at risk,' Ms Mettam said.
'There can be no clearer message to the people of Western Australia about the priorities of the Premier and his Government.
'These promised expansions were already a desperate catch-up for a system under extreme pressure, now they have effectively been kicked down the road until who knows when.
'Ambulance ramping at our emergency departments last month was the worst ever on record for May, at a time when doctors are warning of a severe flu season in the months ahead.
'Every time the Premier or minister stands in Parliament they are effectively turning their backs on the many Western Australians who have had to wait hours in an ambulance for admission to ED or has been treated on a trolley in the corridor or has made the uncomfortable decision to leave an ED without treatment because the wait is too long.'
A spokesperson said on Saturday the Cook Government was investing $3.2 billion into health infrastructure over the next four years.
This included money to undertake the detailed planning for the Royal Perth and Midland emergency department expansions.
'We're already in the process of establishing teams who will work within the new Office of Major Infrastructure to deliver the two emergency department expansions,' the spokesperson said.
'The reason we held an early Budget, was so we could get on with delivering key commitments like expanding the emergency departments at Royal Perth and Midland, to cater for our growing population.
'These are complex projects that are undertaken while hospitals remain operational, and cannot occur without detailed planning work happening first.
'We need to ensure we get it right, and planning was always going to be the first priority.'