The Albanese Labor Government has pledged hundreds of millions to expand major public hospitals in Western Australia and South Australia in a bid to improve healthcare access and increase the number of highly skilled health workers, including nurses and midwives, to meet growing demand.
The federal government today announced it will invest $150 million, matched by Flinders University, to fund the construction of the Flinders HealthCARE Centre, a “state-of-the-art” health service featuring three floors of clinical space capable of treating 100 patients simultaneously, if re-elected.
The centre’s research and training facilities will enable Flinders University to produce an extra 1,300 graduates each year, including more than 490 nurses and 50 midwives.
Design and development of the centre is expected to start later this year, with Flinders University aiming for construction to kick off in 2027. The investment builds on the federal government’s $498 million outlay for the Flinders Medical Centre, in partnership with the state government, to upgrade operating theatres, imaging and ICU, and provide an additional 160 hospital beds.
The Albanese Government’s latest commitment followed a similar $200 million pledge to expand St John of God Midland Public Hospital in Western Australia, to deliver more hospital beds, operating theatres, ICU and neonatal care beds, and a redesign of the obstetrics and neonatal unit.
The investment adds to the state government’s $105 million to upgrade the emergency department, with a further $50 million to be invested as part of this expansion, taking the total to $355 million.
The federal government says the expansion will increase the availability of free, public healthcare, and reducing ambulance ramping, to meet the needs of patients in Perth’s growing eastern suburbs and Wheatbelt.
“This will open up 10,000 health appointments and see up to 1,300 health professionals graduate each year,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today, regarding the planned Flinders HealthCARE Centre.
“Nurses, midwives, ambos, speech pathologists, physios, psychologists, and other health professionals – this means more of them, trained in world-class facilities,” SA Premier, Peter Malinauskas, added.
“It also means up to 10,000 additional appointments each year or patients in the south, to be undertaken at the new Flinders facility.”
The $355 million redevelopment of St John of God Midland Hospital is aimed at significantly boosting capacity and slashing wait times, while increasing the size of the ICU by 50%.
