‘Reality check’ on $13bn ‘bloated’ health project pipeline blowouts

The peak infrastructure body which blew the whistle on the state’s bloated hospital build pipeline has welcomed a 60-day review ordered by the government.

The government has ordered a review into health cost and timeline blowouts.

Queensland would have needed six times more construction workers than it has today in order to build its mega pipeline of hospital projects.

Now the peak infrastructure body which blew the whistle on the state’s bloated hospital build pipeline has welcomed a 60-day review ordered by the government to sort out how to get the cost and timelines under control.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls has confirmed the review undertaken by independent consultant Sam Sangster of Klok Advisory will cost no more than $250,000.

He has also vowed not a single bed would be axed from the 2200 first proposed by Labor.

But what remains unknown is when the three new hospitals, 11 expansions and one top-of-the-line cancer centre will now be completed. The original timeline had most projects done by 2028.

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia head Adrian Dwyer said the industry think tank has been advocating for a reality check on the pipeline that’s exploded from its original $9.78bn to between $16bn and $23bn.

“Queenslanders need to brace themselves for a dose of hard medicine. The findings will be sobering. The former Government’s hospital delivery ambitions were commendable, but blind optimism and unbridled enthusiasm was never a plausible delivery strategy,” he said.

“Our analysis found that the Capacity Expansion Program would result in a significant and swift upwards spike in labour resource requirements from 2025, only alleviating in 2028.

“At its peak, a 604 per cent growth in workers would be required in June 2026 compared to today’s levels.”

Infrastructure specialist Sam Sangster, who started Klok Advisory, will head the 60-day review at a cost of no more than $250,000--- a fifth of what the infrastructure division of Queensland Health paid for a communications strategy.

Mr Nicholls said he had determined the review was “the best way forward to make sure we can deliver these projects”.

He promised the government would deliver all the projects and the 2200 extra beds proposed.