State Budget 2023: $2.1bn boost for Gold Coast ambulances, hospitals and mental health
The Gold Coast has received $2.1bn as part of the state’s largest health building budget in history. Here’s the full details.
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The Gold Coast will have its satellite hospital facility open at Tugun, new mental health unit at the Gold Coast University Hospital and expanded beds at Robina as part of a record state budget spend.
Treasurer Cameron Dick on Tuesday handed down the largest health budget in history including a $2.1 billion boost to the Coast’s health infrastructure and programs.
This compares to $1.9 billion spent in 2021-22 with the focus on the next 12 months building more health infrastructure in the city’s fastest growing suburbs. The record-setting $25.8bn state health funding budget is a 9.6 per cent increase on last year.
“This is the biggest health building program of any state or territory in Australia,” Mr Dick said in his budget speech.
“The enduring lesson of the pandemic is that a strong health response leads to a strong economy. That’s why this budget sets yet another record for health funding.
“(It) represents the largest annual increase in the health budget in Queensland history.”
The health centrepiece of the budget for the Coast is the Government’s $122.7 million new secure mental health rehabilitation unit at the Gold Coast University Hospital which will see $52.1 million spent in the next 12 months. Key Coast projects outlined in the budget papers include:
• A new Coomera hospital at Foxwell Road: The Government will use $74 million out of a $1.3bn spend to start constructing the hospital on a 47.7ha site. It will create more than 3100 construction jobs over the next four years in a “significant economic boost” for the city. Once completed, the hospital will deliver 404 overnight beds including emergency department treatment spaces and a satellite medical imaging department.
• A new mental health rehabilitation unit at the Gold Coast University Hospital: The unit will be the first ever developed on the Coast and deliver 40 additional beds, creating 300 construction jobs and more than 140 jobs full time position,
• Ambulance services: Southport ambulance station to be upgraded as part of a $7.1m splash out of a total $31m spend to deliver “modern” and “efficient” facilities. The spend includes the Gold Coast Operations Centre at Coomera as a triple-0 (000) call centre. About $100,000 will be invested to redevelop the Pimpama ambulance station.
• Tugun satellite hospital: The government announced $78.9m of a total $376.9m spend to deliver seven satellite hospitals across the state including one in Tugun. It is expected to open by the end of the year with the state saying the Tugun facility will service close to 500 patients a week.
• Robina Hospital upgrade: In the next 12 months $10m out of a total $20.5m spend to deliver an acute care unit at Robina and to replace their mobile duress system. The unit will add 20 beds.
Other funding includes $3.4m to continue developing the Parklands Health and Knowledge Precinct.
More than $10m will be spent on maintenance upgrades at the Southport Health Precinct, and $3.5m at the Palm Beach Community Health Centre.
Mr Dick said the funding announced will especially be critical to easing pressure off the Gold Coast University Hospital’s emergency department – the busiest in the country.
Mr Dick said: “We’ve got additional beds coming to the QEII, Princess Alexandra Hospital and Gold Coast University Hospital along with our satellite hospitals coming online which will help the Gold Coast University Hospital.”
Gaven MP and Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said: “There is nothing more important to the Palaszczuk Government then ensuring every Gold Coaster gets the health services, housing and job security they need.
“Providing these services is the core objective of our Labor Government and we will do everything we can to see that happens.”
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