Toowoomba Hospital: Tower cranes installed at Baillie Henderson construction site

Health Minister Tim Nicholls has teased when Toowoomba's new hospital redesign could be completed, as four major features were added to the construction site in recent weeks.

Health minister Tim Nicholls says the redesign of Toowoomba’s new hospital to move all services onto one campus could be finished by the end of the year, as the state government grapples with what will be included in the main building for a transformational project.

Mr Nicholls was on the ground with lead contractor John Holland at Baillie Henderson on Thursday to witness the completion of four new 65m tower cranes, which will remain on site for most of the build.

Lead contractor John Holland has pressed ahead with stage one of the massive project at the site in Toowoomba’s northwest, which is covered by the original tender for early works and is expected to take another 10 months to finish.

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls tours new Toowoomba Hospital construction site with John Holland project director Luis Biaggini (left) and project manager Dominic Rakei (right), Thursday, August 21, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

What is part of stage two has not been determined, with sources suggesting some departments removed from the main building and constructed in subsequent tenders.

It is understood radiology, oncology and mental health might become separate builds on the same campus and it also remains to be seen when a tender will be issued for the multistorey car park, which is an essential part of the project.

Overall, the government has yet to outline the final cost of the project and its new expected completion date.

Mr Nicholls said the redesign of the hospital under the LNP government’s Hospital Rescue Plan, which was being completed by Health Infrastructure Queensland along with infrastructure specialist Sam Sangster, would be substantial but not a complete overhaul.

“It will see a redefinition of the mothers and children’s area, making sure that the emergency department works well, and making sure that the correct flow through the operating theatres is under way as well,” he said.

“We are hopeful that we’ll have a conclusion to that redesign by the end of the year, but I don’t want to be held to that timeframe, because what we want to do is make sure we get it right.

“I haven’t seen the final plan yet, and I think that’s something that’s best left to the experts in the field in relation to that area (but) it’s not a total redesign.”

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls tours new Toowoomba Hospital construction site, Thursday, August 21, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The single-campus model is in line with what Darling Downs Health had envisioned for the new hospital in its 2020 business case before the previous Labor government attempted to retain some services at the ageing Pechey Street site.

Mr Nicholls said he had not seen the business case as it was part of the former government’s cabinet documents, but believed the LNP was fulfilling DDH’s desire for a unified delivery model.

“What I am aware of is that when Mr Sangster undertook his review and when I came up here and spoke with the executives from Darling Downs HHS, they indicated very strongly to me the idea that their original intention was to move all services here to Baillie Henderson,” he said.

“I stood in that building just over there and we looked at and I said, ‘why aren’t we doing it all here?’ and they said, ‘minister, that’s what we wanted’.”

Overlooking the new Toowoomba Hospital construction site, showing what will be the basement level and the lift pits in the background. Toowoomba Hospital at Baillie Henderson Hospital Campus.Wednesday August 6, 2025Photo: Bev Lacey

Mr Nicholls also ruled out the original completion date of 2027, calling Labor’s previous target a “fantasy”.

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts said he hadn’t been briefed on what stage two looked like, but believed the design could be “adapted” to fit the project.

“I haven’t had a finalised report yet, but what we know is that it will be one campus, that it will be fully functional, that it will deliver 118 additional rooms, taking us exactly where we need to be,” he said.

“I’ll be pushing to get the maximum level of service we can in as many categories as possible, and making sure the hospital is capable of being developed in such a way that we can raise that category over time if required.

“Construction is under way out there and we will be able to adapt everything that’s been done to be able to fit the new hospital footprint.”

John Holland design director Devin Miller at the new Toowoomba Hospital construction site, Thursday, August 21, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer