Residents of Perth’s eastern suburbs and Wheatbelt will have more access to hospital care with Federal Labor pledging $200 million towards a major expansion of the St John of God Midland public hospital.
The Federal election heads west on Monday with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set to announce the hospital funding alongside Premier Roger Cook.
WA Labor promised $105 million to upgrade the hospital’s emergency department during its election campaign last month.
It will add another $50 million to that, bringing the combined upgrade funding to $355 million.
The expansion will deliver 60 more hospital beds, two more operating theatres, more ICU and neonatal care beds and a redesign of the obstetrics and neonatal unit at the Midland hospital, in the Federal electorate of Hasluck.
Mr Cook said a key priority for his re-elected Government was positioning the State’s health system for the future.
“That’s why, together with the Albanese Labor Government, we’re investing in projects that will make a meaningful difference to patients,” he said.
“This builds on my government’s record investment in health, and will help slash wait times and tackle ambulance ramping, while increasing the size of the ICU by 50 per cent.”
Health is emerging as a key concern for voters speaking with parties and candidates in WA, Labor sources have told The West, coming second only to the cost of living.
Mr Albanese has placed health at the centre of his pitch for re-election, promising billions of dollars including to build new urgent care clinics in Bateman, Ellenbrook, Mirrabooka, Mundaring, Yanchep and Geraldton.
“We’re working with the Cook Labor Government to build Western Australia’s future,” the Prime Minister said.
“Only Labor is strengthening Medicare, with the largest ever investment in more than 40 years.
“This means more free trips to the doctor, cheaper medicines and more urgent care clinics – where all you need is your Medicare card not your credit card.”
West Australian voters were crucial to Mr Albanese’s victory in 2022, sending nine Labor MPs to Canberra and just five Liberals plus independent Kate Chaney in Curtin.
The Prime Minister pledged to visit WA 10 times a year in office; this will be his 30th trip west.
Labor insiders were buoyed by the WA election result three weeks ago, particularly the strong showing in Bicton, Bateman and Riverton, which overlap with the Federal seat of Tangney.
The seat, held by Labor’s Sam Lim on a margin of 2.7 per cent, is top of the Liberals’ hit list to win back this time around.
But Liberals say it is a toss up at this stage whether their candidate Howard Ong will be able to wrest it back.
A YouGov poll released on Sunday, which uses an MRP model that combines a large number of surveys with demographic information, predicts Labor will hold on to the seat as things stand now.
It puts the Liberal primary vote at 38.6 per cent while party insiders acknowledge that needs to be at least 40 per cent to have a chance of winning.
The poll shows a similar level Liberal primary in Curtin and predicts Ms Chaney will retain the seat, while in the new electorate of Bullwinkel it is forecasting a Labor win.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is also expected to head to WA early in the campaign period.
So far his major policy, an east coast gas reservation, has offered little to WA voters.
Asked on Sunday what he would do to drive down power prices in the west as he was promising for those over east, he said he would “work with the Cook government, first and foremost” and also approve the extension for Woodside’s North West Shelf gas export facility.
