By NOEL MURPHY
LABOR MPs have savaged plans for a hospital at North Geelong after the state budget allocated $3.4 million to the project next financial year.
The attack follows the Napthine Government’s dumping of a promised $85 million stand-alone public hospital at Waurn Ponds, instead giving $50 million to private operator Epworth to provide public health services in its new facility.
“This is just bits and pieces, there’s no real strategy or plan,” Lara MP John Eren said of the northern hospital promise.
“They’ve dedicated some money in the first year and some in the second but the bulk’s not until 2017-2018 – in time for the next election.”
Bellarine MP Lisa Neville, a former Barwon Health chair who has called for an Ombudsman inquiry into the Waurn Ponds hospital deal, said the Barwon North Health project was not a hospital and not a serious commitment.
“It’s not a hospital and I’m not sure if it ever was going to be one. You couldn’t build a hospital for $28 million,” she said.
“This is really an expanded community health centre and with only $3.4 milllion to be spent on it, it’s still a long way from being built.”
“These plans are like thought bubbles only, they have not been thought through,” Mr Eren said.
“We want real outcomes in the north. I don’t believe what they’ve offered is good enough.
“I’ve had a petition going which hundreds have signed but this budget is more about saving the job of Denis Napthine.”
The offices of Premier Napthine and Health Minister David Davis did not reply to Independent queries about other public services being extended to private operators.
