‘Undeliverable’: Cost blowouts and delays put hospital projects at risk

The state government has refused to reveal which 15 hospital projects will be impacted by blowouts or delays, despite conceding the program cannot be finished by 2028 as promised under Labor.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Health Minister Tim Nicholls.

Premier David Crisafulli has blamed Labor for an “undeliverable” hospital program, claiming it had no plan to get all 15 projects built on time — but internal documents suggest the former government had access to timelines and costings before the election.

The state government has refused to reveal which of the 15 hospital projects will be impacted by blowouts, scope changes or construction delays, despite conceding the program cannot be finished by 2028 as promised under Labor.

Dr David Rosengren.

It comes after Department of Health Director-General David Rosengren revealed his $29bn budget had been so overdrawn, he could not sign off on a contract to replace broken down elevators at the Townsville Hospital.

Premier David Crisafulli said Mr Rosengren was a “career medico crying for help”.

“I want him to say that every project that he’s referring to was fully funded,” he said.

“There’s no documents that exist, there’s nothing that suggests those opposite were told that it could be done (by 2028).

“And what the (Sangster) report shows is that under those opposite it was undeliverable. They had no plan.”

But department documents, seen by the Courier-Mail, show that technical advisory groups were engaged and advice was provided to the former Labor government regarding estimated costs just weeks before the state election.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli visiting patients in hospital in Brisbane. Picture: Supplied

Papers dated September 10, seen by the Courier-Mail show advice to then-Premier Steven Miles that the three new hospitals slated for Bundaberg, Townsville and Coomera were expected to be completed in late 2027 and the Cancer Centre in 2028.

It also detailed the projected delivery timeline for beds across each of the hospital expansions, all ranging between 2024 and 2028.

A separate document dated in July noted site issues for the cancer centre site at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital leading to a $1.8bn blowout.

That document showed a technical advisory group and a project team had been working on detail designs for the centre throughout 2024.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles said Mr Crisafulli had broken another election promise after telling voters the LNP health plan was detailed and would have an “immediate effect”.

“What he really meant was delays to hospital expansions and potentially cutting projects all together,” he said.

“The Premier needs to learn his job isn’t to just say things, it’s to deliver things for the people of this state.”

The ambitious hospital build program would see 2200 beds added to the state’s health system through three new hospitals, 11 expansions and a Queensland-first cancer centre.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls estimates the program would now cost between $19 and 23bn – a $14bn increase.

He commissioned infrastructure specialist Sam Sangster to conduct an independent audit of the program, but that report is yet to be publicly released.