Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Ministers statements: health infrastructure

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:35): I rise to update the house on the Allan Labor government’s commitment to act on climate change through and for our healthcare system. We know that hospitals are big users of energy, including gas. That is why we are making sure that our new hospitals take advantage of cheap renewables as they come online – cheap renewables, not expensive nuclear – because we know that climate change is having a real impact on the health and wellbeing of Victorians. It is why we are building Victoria’s first all-electric hospital at Melton. It is why we are building all-electric redevelopments at the Frankston and the Angliss hospitals. These all-electric buildings will make sure our hospitals are not contributing to climate change and the health impacts that that has, which is much more than the leader of the federal opposition can claim, a member I might say who doctors voted as the worst health minister in 35 years.

While our government is busy building health infrastructure across Victoria, including as I have already detailed all of that work that we have done at Latrobe, that we are doing at the Angliss and Frankston, you name it, the only thing that those on the other side of the house, the Liberals, are building in Victoria is a nuclear reactor in the Latrobe Valley. The real question now is for the member for Hawthorn. Where does the member for Hawthorn stand on this matter? While Peter Dutton plans to split atoms in Loy Yang, the member for Hawthorn is busy thinking about the splits in his own party, not the health of Victorians.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, ministers statements cannot be used to attack the opposition, and four-year-olds cannot get ambulances.

The SPEAKER: Order! Didn’t I just say that members should know by now how to raise a point of order? The minister has concluded her statement.