Budget reveals Royal delay

The Budget papers reveal that the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment will not be completed until June 2019 despite the Minister for Health continuing to state that the project is on time.

“The Minister has repeatedly stated that the RHH redevelopment will be completed in 2018 but today he has been exposed,” Shadow Health Minister Rebecca White said.

“The capital investment program for the RHH redevelopment for the financial year 2015-16 is just $28 million when in last year’s Budget papers it forecast $136 million would be spent this year.

“The inability of the Minister for Health to deliver the project on time makes a mockery of his claim that he has ‘rescued the Royal’.

“In addition to this, the budget for Health and Human Services still contains $110 million in savings that will need to be found.

The cuts from last year’s Budget have not been reversed, which means there is more pain to come for frontline health services.

The Budget also predicts that ambulance response times will continue to increase across the state which indicates the cuts will continue to impact service delivery.

The budget for Human Services reveals more people are expected to join the public housing waiting lists which have already blown out by 1000 people under Jacquie Petrusma.

There is no new money provided to fund affordable housing for vulnerable Tasmanians and in fact, the budget forecasts show a reduction in expenditure on new properties when compared to the same line item in last year’s Budget.

“The Budget may provide opportunities for government ministers to cut ribbons on shiny new infrastructure projects but it does nothing to cut waiting lists for those seeking to put a roof over their head.”
Rebecca White MP Shadow Health Minister