No Money for Northern Beaches Hospital or Spit Solution in NSW Budget
Wed 17 June - The NSW Budget is another example of how this State Government cannot be believed, said Shadow Treasurer Mike Baird.
“After years of promises that there will be solution to the Spit Bridge and the much needed Northern Beaches Hospital will be built, when it comes to the crunch, they fail to deliver.
“It’s a disgrace that once more the Northern Beaches has been left off the funding program in the State Budget.
“We have had a verbal commitment from the Minister for Health that it would be built and like all other words they now appear to mean nothing.
“I can give an assurance that if we win Government in 2011, the Northern Beaches Hospital will be built.
“Again we also see no long term solution for the Spit Bridge, with no additional allocation in the Budget.
“I will be calling on the Minister to formally respond to the solution that remains in his in-box.
“The community wants a say in a solution that improves public transport and we will pursue this formal response through the parliament.
“Overall there are serious issues regarding the credibility of this Budget, which reads more like a fanciful fairytale, with figures which cannot be believed.
“An analysis of the Budget papers uncovers the real story:
Expenditure growth to miraculously drop from 7.6 percent next year, to 2.8 percent the following year
To get back into the black, the government must reduce spending via its public sector reform, but this is highly unlikely as the proposal has no credibility having been simply pinched from Queensland
The debt and financial liabilities are estimated to total $36,000 per household in three years time, with no plan to pay it back
Without Kevin Rudd’s money, NSW would have an $8 billion deficit blackhole over the next four years
There is no additional infrastructure expenditure from the State Government in this Budget – it’s all Kevin’s money
Retention of the Credit Rating remains reliant on the sale of the electricity assets but there are serious concerns that deal will not proceed, and if it does, it will be a fire-sale.
Media Contact: Wendy Black 0418 532 534
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Comments (7)
Kevin's money?
Hey Mike My concern is that the expressions 'Kevin's money' is all too correct in the Labor Party's mind. It is actually 'our' money and not Kevin's.
Keep up the good work, Regards Rob
NSW Budget 2010
The health minister on 2GB this morning thought that the hospitals on the Beaches were at Manly and NARRABEEN what chance have the Northern Beaches got? 2011 cannot happen soon enough!!
Northern Beaches residents are unpersons
Well, I am not surprised, of course. To this state government, non-Labor seats which are not even marginal near-Labor seats do not exist when money is allocated. In true newspeak, such unfortunate residents are unpersons and therefore have unneeds.
Well, despite my comment above, I'm an optimist and a pragmatist at heart, so I'll try again: How about demanding a final date, by which the government will either have committed funds to building a new hospital, or (if the hospital at Frenchs Forest is abandoned) at least invested a few tens of millions each in upgrading both Manly and Mona Vale hospitals. Such improvements should include: * modern CAT and MRI scanners * re-opening closed wards such as paediatrics * re-opening hydrotherapy pool * repairing steam delivery for autoclaving * meals preparation on site at each hospital * subsidised nurse accommodation on-site * improved ward design with easily sterilised surfaces, to combat MR bacterial infections such as staph aureus
...and anything else that has broken or been superseded in recent years.
...and adequate staff levels to run them!
Press release
Mike,
Surprise surprise, I don’t understand why anyone living on the northern beaches would bother voting for these guys…. New hospital and Spit bridge fix are NEVER going to happen whilst these guys are in Govt, I can’t believe they can look into the camera and makes these promises knowing they won’t deliver….amazing stuff.
London is still good, sun is out, although I copped a bit of stick over the 20-20 result but all has fallen strangely silent after the poms loss……….roll on the Ashes (we better win !!!)
Hope all is good back home.
Damo
Australia's Debt
This is an outrage. Rudd the dud
An organised march would be good.
The Labour government is ruining Australia - something has to be done.
Many thanks for your good work.
Budget
I support everything you are trying to do, not only in our electorate, state wide. Good luck. Joan.
Hospital Facilities on the Northern Beac
I have been involved in community activities for 10 years. For 3 years I was part of the community consultative process for evaluation of the hospital options and sat in on Area Health Services Steering Committee.The whole exercise was a massive waste of time and money and it is again very clear that this Government intends to do nothing to improve our dire hospital crisis. Both of our hospitals are dying the death of a thousand cuts. What the community needs to know is what can we do about the situation? How do we get action, without waiting and hoping that a change of government will bring about the necessary development? Do we re-activate an action group, similar to the \"Beaches\" Committee that includes clinicians, staff at the hospital ( if they are game) residents, Councillors etc Our local Member, Mike Baird is clearly our hope for the future, but can we afford to wait? Are we gathering \"bad news\" stories from patients? What is the media approach? How can we shame this pathetic Government into action when they are broke and desparate....We need an action plan...
