Labor is calling for Premier Jeremy Rockliff to urgently provide clarity about the future of the co-located hospital the Liberals promised to build in Launceston, but have failed to progress.
Labor understands that the project’s future is under a cloud of serious doubt, placing the 1,400 direct and indirect jobs it was expected to create at risk, along with concerns about the viability of some health services.
The promise was announced by the Liberals at the 2021 election, with Mr Rockliff signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Calvary Health Care to “accelerate the delivery” of the $120 million development in June 2021.
Less than a year ago, the Premier said the new private hospital was expected to be completed in 2026, but he’s been very quiet since then – with speculation about the project’s future growing.
After 10 years of a Liberal government Tasmania’s healthcare woes are well-known, with waitlists and bed-block at the Launceston General Hospital some of the worst in the nation.
This development was critical to reducing pressure on the Launceston General Hospital, along with the promised but not delivered $580 million redevelopment of the LGH.
The further this tired, old Liberal government drags on, the more Tasmanians are beginning to realise that Jeremy Rockliff and his colleagues aren’t builders – they are just announcers who consistently fail to deliver on their promises.
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Minister for Health
