Thursday, 1 August 2024

Monash Medical Centre

Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (17:25): (756) My adjournment this evening is to the outstanding Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for the minister to visit the Monash Medical Centre to give an update on the $535 million that will be invested, which includes expanding the maternity care centres, new operating suites and a new intensive care unit. When it comes to health, Labor invests in our health system. When they see the operating budgets that are being delivered and see the capital infrastructure, our health professionals know that Labor backs them in. We saw just recently the support for our nurses and midwives, who do an extraordinary job across Victoria. They are the best of Victorians. We saw during the pandemic their leadership and the work that they did. They knew that an Allan Labor government would be backing them in. Yes, we have got shortages, and yes, we need to attract more people in. That is why we are supporting our nurses with degrees and through a range of different ways as well. If there is anyone thinking about a career path they want to take, nursing or midwifery is a great choice for your future. People talk about the legacy or the contributions of the Andrews and Allan Labor governments. You only have to go down the road to where a number of my constituents go: the Monash Medical Centre. It is the same with the member for Oakleigh, the member for Glen Waverley and the member for Clarinda. It is such a significant part of our community.

The Frankston Hospital redevelopment is really important for the southern part of my electorate, a $1.1 billion investment: a new 12-level tower of clinical services; a main entrance; 130 more beds; something I am really passionate about, the new spaces for mental health and oncology services; and 12 new operating theatres. You can see this from Chelsea and Chelsea Heights. It is coming out of the ground. You can see the redevelopment of the Frankston Hospital site. You can see delivery in our community and you can see the jobs that that is creating with the hundreds and hundreds of workers that are onsite. I want to give a big shout-out to the member for Frankston. I do not think he sleeps; he certainly skydives, and quite a bit. Goodness me, you see that he is active out there each and every day, and I know how passionate he is about delivering for his community. That project delivery benefits people in so many more electorates – in Carrum, in Hastings, in Nepean and even some legends from the member for Cranbourne’s electorate and of course in the Mordialloc electorate that I so proudly serve. I would love an update out onsite – for the Minister for Health to come out and visit, come along with some of the crew. Get the member for Glen Waverley, the member for Clarinda, the member for Oakleigh – I know he is a busy unit – and of course the member for Bentleigh, I should not forget. Get them all out. We would love to get an update out onsite and visit Monash Medical Centre.