Millions of dollars have been allocated to capacity-boosting projects at Redland Hospital as part of a record $25.8bn health spend in the 2023-24 state budget.
Treasurer Cameron Dick unveiled a surplus of $12.3b last week – a record for any state government in history – while also delivering cost of living relief in the form of free kindergarten for families and a $550 power bill rebate for every home to help with rising electricity prices.
Budget papers show a total of $28.41m has been allocated in the 2023-24 financial year for the stage one Redland Hospital expansion, which will deliver 37 extra beds and an Intensive Care Unit, as well as $8m for the stage two expansion.
The state government pledged just weeks out from the budget that it would spend $150m on a new mental health facility at Redland Hospital, almost doubling the existing ward’s capacity and freeing up space on campus for future expansion works.
Capalaba MP Don Brown said the Palaszczuk government’s investment in Redland Hospital, which also includes a $25m modular ward, would increase the number of beds by 40 per cent and completely transform the site.
“This is on top of the satellite hospital which will be open in August,” he said.
“My understanding is it will be the first satellite hospital opened and we are looking forward to it.”
Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson said locals would not be “fooled” by the “smoke and mirrors” of new promises when current hospital commitments, including those announced before the last election, had not been delivered.
“Labor promised to fix the record high ambulance ramping at Redland hospital that was at its worst ever levels, but it remains dangerously high at 63 per cent,” he said.
“Labor promised in 2022 that the stage one Redland Hospital expansion would be built … but 2022 came and went and even another budget does not deliver on their previous announcement.”
A Queensland Health spokesman said the stage one expansion project had been extended to deliver more beds than originally planned.
“The procurement stage has taken longer than expected due to factors outside of our control, such as inclement weather, construction costs and shortages of labour and materials,” he said.
“We are working with the contractor to complete the early works.”
The government has also committed $764 million in the budget to reducing ambulance ramping and improving access to emergency departments.
