Adelaide hospital carpark fees rise for staff
Just before Christmas, Adelaide hospital staff have been told their car park fees will rise - some to more than double in price.
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The “Grinch of a government” has bumped up hospital car parking fees as a pre-Christmas slug on staff, the Opposition says, after an email to employees advising of the increase.
The increase — foreshadowed in the budget — more than doubles fees for some staff to $49.50 per fortnight from January 1.
An email from Northern Adelaide Local Health Network director of corporate operations Peter Mullen and another from Southern Adelaide Local Health Network chief finance officer Wayne Gadd details the increases.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said the current fortnightly rate for some staff of $21.59 will rise from January 1 to $49.50, an additional $725 per year.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital rate of $36.83 per fortnight will also rise to $49.50 — by comparison, commercial carparks in the city offer early-bird rates of about $15 per day, equating to $150 for a 10-day working fortnight.
“What a horrible Christmas present from this Grinch of a government,” Mr Picton said.
“This is a Christmas slap in the face to nurses working flat out caring for patients during this heatwave crisis.
“Our hardworking nurses, hospital cleaners and other staff are already under the pump as they deal with the consequences of Marshall Liberal Government cuts, now on the eve of Christmas they’re facing a whack of hundreds of dollars in the new year.”
After the fee rise was announced in the budget by Treasurer Rob Lucas who said it was needed to help cover a GST shortfall, Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade defended it as a way to ensure spaces were not taken by the public.
Mr Wade said at the time, while at the Royal Adelaide Hospital: “We are doing the best we can to bring the health budget under control (and) to maintain quality services.
“If we allowed public carparking and staff carparking, for the rates to continue to become unrealistically low, all we would do is suck in commercial CBD car park users into this (RAH) facility.
“What I would say to a staff member is that this is still half the weekly charge that a member of the public would pay.”