Devonport Maternity Hospital: Buck passing must stop

Monday 10 May, 2010

Devonport Maternity Hospital: Buck passing must stop

The asbestos contamination problem at the old Devonport maternity hospital site is a ticking time bomb and there is a community expectation that the State Government will step in and fix the problem immediately.

The site is now thoroughly compromised and the risks to the health and wellbeing of the community need to be the priority rather than the constant buck passing between state and local government.

Obviously security measures have failed and as people continue to access the site, they run the serious risk of contact with asbestos. This is a disaster waiting to happen and the State Government needs to step in immediately.

The Labor Government needs a reality check. In the last 12 months alone it has wasted $400,000 to pay out Labor mate Scott Gadd, $170,000 to payout to Daniel Leesong and most recently, $300,000 plus to Mark Addis.

If Labor can find this kind of money to pay out its mates, then there is no good reason why they cannot allocate sufficient funds immediately to avert serious health and safety problems from the maternity hospital into the future.
Jeremy Rockliff MP Deputy Leader of the State Opposition Shadow Minister for Health