MPs battle over how much a carpark costs

Two multimillion-dollar figures have landed on the funding table this week as MPs continue to wrangle over the cost to build the Redland Hospital carpark.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles says the Redland Hospital carpark will cost approximately $36 million. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles and Federal Bowman MP Andrew Laming have gone head-to-head as the deal to broker a figure to fund the Redland Hospital carpark continues.

In the latest round of the beleaguered carpark funding challenge Mr Miles has slapped down Andrew Laming’s suggestion the carpark could be built for less than $36 million.

“Queensland Health estimates a new multistorey car park at Redland Hospital will cost around $36 million, this is similar to the cost of the planned car park at Redcliffe Hospital,” Mr Miles said.

“The final project cost will be confirmed once the a detailed business case is compete.

“Andrew Laming can’t backflip down. He needs to secure half the funding like he said he would.”

Mr Laming announced in federal parliament last week he would fund “dollar for dollar” the Redland Hospital carpark if the State Government dropped its feasibility study and got on with the job.

State government answers “dollar for dollar” call from Bowman MP Andrew Laming

This week Mr Laming rejected the $36 million figure calling it “gold plating” and claiming a builder’s quote was half that.

“If there is any reason why a carpark for Redlands should cost double the quotation from the builders, I am yet to see it,” he said.

“The private sector have corroborated my initial estimates that a 500 carpark facility can be constructed in 2019 for as little as $10 million.”

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Mr Laming said Labor were “in the business of gold-plating, whenever they knew another party was meeting half the cost”.

He said it was time the health minister put an end to the “highballing”.

“This is about a value-for-money carpark by Christmas, not shuffling more paperwork until the next election,” he said.

“I again call on health minister Miles to submit a sensible offer for value-for-money assessment. If they terminate the unhelpful 12-month study, I can put my efforts into meeting half of the costs asap.”

Mr Laming also “urged local ALP MPs to side with him on the Redland Hospital carpark”.

Capalaba MP Don Brown said today he welcomed Mr Laming’s dollar for dollar announcement.

“We want to know if he is serious .. he has a budget coming up .. so we expect to see about $18 million in this budget but going off Andrew’s comments that he expects it to be $15 million we at least want to see, as a sign of good will, $7.5 million in this budget.”

Redlands MP Kim Richards said “we want to be sure Redlanders are going benefit from $7.5 million in this budget for our community”.

Other Queensland Health Car Parks.

• Rockhampton Hospital $25.5. million including a four storey, 557 bay carpark and upgrade to 40 at-grade carparks.
• Redcliffe Hospital carpark is costing $36.78 million including a 604 bay, four storey carpark and improvements to at-grade parking on site.

Source: Queensland Health.