CATHERINE KING MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND MEDICARE
MEMBER FOR BALLARAT
JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
SENATOR MURRAY WATT
SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND
DES HARDMAN
LABOR CANDIDATE FOR FORDE
LABOR WILL BUILD MORE BEDS AT LOGAN HOSPITAL
A Shorten Labor Government will improve access to health care in Logan and kickstart Stage 2 of Logan Hospital’s redevelopment with a $29.1 million investment to build more beds.
This election is a choice between better health and hospitals under a united Shorten Labor Government, versus more cuts and chaos under Scott Morrison and the LNP.
We need real change – because more of the same isn’t good enough.
The Logan region is growing rapidly, and its population is ageing and has complex health requirements – putting enormous pressure on local health services.
Patients and staff know how much pressure Logan Hospital is under. That’s why Federal and State Labor are working together to upgrade the hospital and meet demand for health services into the future – in stark contrast to the LNP’s cuts.
Labor’s $29.1 million investment will fund an additional floor and a new 32 bed ward. It will also fund a ‘shell space’ that can be fitted out with a further 32 beds in the future.
This will allow the hospital to provide more services and take pressure off the emergency department by reducing ‘bed block’.
Labor’s investment will kickstart Stage 2 of Logan Hospital’s redevelopment – building on the Queensland Labor Government’s $281 million commitment to Stage 1, including 192 extra beds.
This investment is on top of Federal Labor’s existing $33.4 million commitment to build an Urgent and Specialist Care Centre at Logan, which will treat people with urgent but not life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
And it follows the last Federal Labor Government’s $175 million investment in Logan Hospital in 2011, which delivered 50 new beds and the new ED building.
In contrast, the LNP just cut and cut and cut from Logan Hospital.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut $6.1 million from Logan Hospital from 2017-18 to 2019-20 – equivalent to 9,000 ED visits or 15,000 outpatient appointments.
Now, Morrison wants to cut another $15.8 million from Logan Hospital between the election and 2024-25 – part of a $651 million cut to Queensland public hospitals and $2.8 billion cut nationally.
Labor will reverse these savage LNP cuts with our $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund – which includes projects such as this one.
Labor can afford to protect Medicare and fix our hospitals because we are tackling unfair tax loopholes and making multinationals pay their fair share.
Labor knows that you don’t improve our hospitals by cutting them. We need real change – because more of the same isn’t good enough.
If you want better hospitals not more cuts – vote Labor.
If you want a fair go for all Australians – vote Labor.
Funding for this commitment has been included in Labor’s Fair Go Budget Plan, available at http://www.alp.org.au/labors_fiscal_plan.
MONDAY, 13 MAY 2019