Budget Estimates and Related Papers 2018-2019

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-103589

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Budget Estimates and Related Papers 2018-2019

Debate resumed from 16 August 2018.

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (10:31:09):

I make a contribution to this take-note debate to address the recent State budget announcements and its many benefits for the people of my electorate. At the outset I acknowledge Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and his team for their hard work on this outstanding State budget. The 2018-19 State budget is one of fiscal responsibility and discipline. On the back of our economic track record, we were able to invest in the families and communities of this State. This Government does not just talk about surpluses and it certainly does not promise them without intending to deliver the desired outcomes. Last year's budget surplus stands at $3.9 billion, with surpluses averaging $1.6 billion projected for each year over the next four years. This strong economic foundation will enable us to give back to local communities and enable them to be confident in their financial investments.

We can say with assurance that we will continue to deliver surpluses because we know what a good Liberal-Nationals budget looks like. Life under crippling budget deficits is the result of poor economic management and leads to avoidable stress, which members will recall happened under Labor. However, in the present economic climate we know, and the voters know, that only a Liberal-Nationals Government can follow through with its priorities to deliver for the people of New South Wales. And we are making it happen. When the Treasurer handed down this budget on 19 June 2018 he mentioned that social outcomes and strong financial management are two sides of the same coin, and we cannot have one without the other. That is why we will again be seeing record capital investment over the next four years: $87.2 billion will be spent on infrastructure—the largest spend in this nation; and $8 billion will be spent on health infrastructure, with new facilities, upgrades and redevelopments. That is excellent news for the residents of my electorate.

I take this opportunity to inform the House about some of the numerous wins in this budget for my local community. In the area of health the Government aims to provide world-class health care to the people of New South Wales. This budget invests in frontline services, neonatal care and mental health treatment in the city and the bush. What excites me the most are the benefits that this record $8 billion investment will have for the people of the St George area. Once in January and twice in June this year I visited St George Hospital to tour the birthing and delivery suite. I was escorted by Professor Chapman, Doctor Henry and Associate Professor Karantanis.

We discussed the need for the expansion and relocation of the birthing unit. My most recent visit was with the Premier to announce the eagerly awaited funding injection to make the project a reality and to offer a solution to the current hurdles faced by hospital staff. The current delivery suite was opened in 1992 and it has not been upgraded or refurbished in more than 25 years. In the delivery suite there are only six delivery rooms, which service more than 2,500 births per year. It is also the tertiary referral centre for high-risk pregnancies for Sutherland Hospital and often accepts transfers from the Illawarra region.

The problem is that the population surrounding the St George Hospital, both in the St George area and the Sutherland shire, has now outgrown the number of available delivery rooms. Consequently, the delivery suite has to sometimes divert its patients to other hospitals. That is not acceptable. It has led to much discontent amongst women who come to the delivery suite only to get turned away to another hospital. Additionally, women sometimes need induction of labour if they have serious conditions affecting the health of their babies. Such women may have their induction unexpectedly delayed by up to 24 hours because of a sudden overload at the delivery suite. That is not good enough but this budget will be able to remedy that.

This has resulted in further distancing and isolation of the delivery suite from surgical intervention in the case of emergency caesarean sections. Women have to be trolleyed vast distances through corridors in public access halls and up lifts to finally get to the operating theatre lobby. The extra minutes required to race to theatre could have dire consequences for mothers and their babies. However, there is a simple solution, and only a Liberal‑Nationals Government can deliver it. We have listened to the needs of the community and allocated the funding in the 2018‑2019 State budget.

In addition to this, the new acute services building has led to a relocation of the operating theatres.

It was announced just a few weeks ago that the New South Wales Government has committed $11.5 million to expand and upgrade the birthing suite and refurbish the existing operating theatres at St George Hospital. This funding has provided solutions to all the obstacles that the facility, medical staff and expectant mothers are facing. The upgrade will involve relocating the delivery suite to the site of the old intensive care unit, which is currently located next to the operating theatres. This will permit a 30 per cent expansion of services for women in labour. The medical professionals at St George Hospital see this as a long-term solution and a great win for the local community. The new delivery unit will be built to include eight state-of-the-art birthing units and two assessment rooms. I commend my side of the Chamber for addressing the need for such an urgent upgrade, which will assist the mothers of southern Sydney with more immediate and safer services.

I am advised that at the recent medical staff council meeting there was overwhelming support by the medical staff of all departments for the facility's expansion and relocation. The feedback I have received since the funding was announced has been communicated with heartfelt gratitude. Since being elected in 2011 this Government has invested more than $353 million in the redevelopment of St George Hospital. This redevelopment has included a new emergency department, a nine-storey acute services building with more nurses and beds, making the completion of stage 2; 108 car spaces added to the Grey Street car park; $1.5 million for upgrades to the cancer care centre; a brand-new ambulance superstation at Kogarah with modern, purpose-built facilities; and more than $145,000 to refurbish the St George Hospital hydrotherapy pool.

This Government has a track record of investing in local hospitals after 16 years of Labor's neglect. I want to ensure that St George Hospital continues to exceed health facility standards and that it meets the demands of the local population.

We have done so much already but there is always more to do. I am thrilled that this Government has secured funding for stage 2.5 of my local hospital's redevelopment to be able to expand and relocate the birthing unit to a more appropriate location with the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that it deserves. With planning in full swing, the redevelopment of the birthing unit is expected to be completed by next year. I acknowledge and thank everyone in the community who has voiced their concerns and shared their personal experiences with the delivery unit at St George Hospital. Together with the expertise of the medical staff, the community support and the budget funding, I am proud to be delivering the much-needed upgrade to the birthing unit at St George Hospital.

It is clear that our Government values families and we hold firmly to the belief that every couple should have the best possible start to parenthood. That is why, in addition to the upgrade of the St George Hospital, local families in my electorate and across New South Wales will also benefit from the new New South Wales Baby Bundle. This statewide optional pack of practical items is available to support new parents and, of course, their newborn. It is the little things that make the experience of new parenthood—and I was there only a couple of years ago—so special.

It is the small details that are often overlooked that make this journey less stressful and allow families to spend more time together. The Baby Bundle of essential everyday items—a baby-safe sleeping bag; nappies, which you need a lot of; wipes, which you need tons of; a blanket; and educational material for parents—is a gift in a time of joy but also of sudden change. With the majority of this year's budget expenditure being invested in health, I am pleased that there has been such a focus on supporting new parents. This Government ensures that future generations are equipped with opportunities and the best possible start to life.

I now turn to the area of education. One of the most crucial tools of a child's development and socialisation is education. The education cluster delivers and regulates education services including childhood education, the care sector and the primary and secondary school sector. In 2018-2019, the education cluster will spend over $17.3 billion across this network of services. This includes a record $6 billion over four years to deliver more than 170 new and upgraded schools. In addition to this, $160 million will be spent in the next financial year on school maintenance.

Business interrupted.