No answers on Gold Coast University Hospital parking expenses

THE private owner of the Gold Coast Hospital car park and the State Government have both failed to answer questions on whether they have the power to drop fees for suffering families.

THE owner of the Gold Coast University Hospital car park and the State Government have both failed to answer questions on whether they have the power to drop fees for suffering Gold Coast families.

The issue came to a head this week when Gold Coast mother Donna Watts Smith complained the $17 a day parking fee was preventing her from visiting her daughter in hospital daily.

Donna Watts from Nerang finds it difficult to afford the cost of parking to visit her sick daughter, Samantha Flounders, at Gold Coast University Hospital due to the cost of parking. Picture Glenn Hampson

It was also revealed this week that under a 30-year deal struck between the State Government and Secure, fee rises are capped in line with the CPI.

But neither the office of Health Minister Steven Miles nor Secure confirmed if they had the ability to lower the existing prices under the lucrative contract.

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Gold Coast University Hospital carpark. Picture Glenn Hampson

In response to further questions from the Bulletin, the car park owner, Secure Parking, claimed commercial in confidence.

“Car park rates at the GCUH are set in accordance with the terms of the contract,” a company spokeswoman said.

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“The contract is subject to commercial in confidence and therefore we are unable to provide any further information.”

The Bulletin put questions to the office of Health Minister Steven Miles, asking for the cost of a contract renegotiation to allow for lower fees or if Secure already had the ability to lower its daily rate for hospital goers.

The Minister’s office, which had already been notified of Secure Parking’s response, claimed it too was restricted by commercial in confidence.

There was no comment from the Minister or the department on the possibility of a renegotiation of the fees.