After previously cutting the budget for the planned Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department Expansion in July, the Government are set to make more cuts to the project and break their promise to provide fit-for-purpose emergency department facilities.

The $149 million expansion of the RHH ED was recommended to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works in February this year. However, in July the Acting Health Secretary told ABC radio that the budget was only $130 million – a 13 per cent decrease than what was originally outlined by the Health Department.

But it now seems that the Government plan to cut the project again – this time leaving staff and management concerned that the new scaled-back design is not fit-for-purpose and does not appropriately future proof the ED.

A project described by the Health Department as a ‘beacon of hope’ for our healthcare system is now set to be another casualty of the Liberal-Lambie budget cuts. Cutting back the planned expansion is particularly worrying given they come on top of vacancy control measures, which could see up to 700 jobs slashed from the health department.

Earlier in the week, Saul Eslake’s report detailed just how badly the Liberals have mismanaged Tasmania’s finances over the last decade. With a $1.5 billion budget deficit and the state’s finances on a course for $16 billion in debt in 10 years’ time, the Liberal-Lambie Coalition are set to make Tasmanian patients pay the price for their budget disaster.

Make no mistake: we are in this position because of the Liberals’ budget mismanagement over the last decade.

Tasmania’s health system is sick enough – whether it’s jobs or infrastructure, it can’t afford the Liberal-Lambie health cuts.

Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Health

Josh Willie MP
Shadow Treasurer