Labor, Libs in tug-of-war over $1.8bn hospital plan as election looms

WA Labor and the Liberals have come to blows over Perth’s contentious $1.8 billion women’s and babies hospital plan after Liberal leader Libby Mettam penned a letter to construction giant Webuild vowing to tear up a deal for the build.

On Friday, Mettam reiterated the Liberal Party’s commitment to building the replacement for King Edward Memorial Hospital at the QEII precinct rather than in Murdoch before revealing she had written to the contractor declaring her intention to end its negotiations with the state if elected.

WA Liberals leader Libby Mettam and Premier Roger Cook.Credit: Trevor Collens

She said the party’s stance was guided by more than 200 medical experts who had flagged concerns about the risks posed by building the new hospital 20 kilometres from specialist pediatric care.

The Liberal leader also rubbished suggestions by Premier Roger Cook that the plan would delay the construction of a women’s and babies hospital by a decade, branding them “absolute rot”.

But Premier Roger Cook hit back, claiming the Liberals’ plan for the 109-year-old facility’s replacement would send maternity services backwards and delay the new hospital by a decade.

“[The Liberals’ plan] will not only mean we won’t have a new hospital delivered at the Murdoch site, but it will also mean delays in upgrades to maternity services at Osborne Park Hospital,” he said.

“Be under no illusions: the policies of the Liberal Party with regard to the women’s and babies hospital will delay world-leading gynaecological and maternity services in WA by at least a decade.”

Webuild was revealed as the preferred builder in the days before Christmas, but the Cook government was unable to lock in anything more concrete than a letter of intent before caretaker mode begins in February.

The issue came to the fore on Friday as Premier Cook was announcing that WA Labor would commit $10 million to undertaking a detailed design for the expansion of the state’s art gallery.Credit: Jesinta Burton.

The plan to build the new hospital within the Fiona Stanley precinct instead of it being located alongside a children’s and adult tertiary hospital at QEII has drawn the ire of sections of the medical fraternity since it was announced in 2023, and stands to become a key issue ahead of the March poll.

Doctors have previously expressed concerns about the potential risk posed to sick babies by the time it would take them to be transported from Murdoch to PCH, which accepts 200 transfers from King Edward Memorial Hospital annually.

But the state government claimed building at QEII would take two decades, add $230 million to the project cost and create significant disruption for the existing operations.

Mettam confirmed the Liberal Party’s plan would cost $2 billion — based on the Labor government’s existing business case — but would be drawn on where the facility would be built in the busy precinct.

The comments came as WA Labor committed $10 million for a detailed design plan for an expansion of the state’s art gallery in Northbridge if re-elected, including a new contemporary gallery.

Cook said the overhaul would usher in a new era for the “tired” gallery, but details about the scale and location were scant.

The government also remained coy about how much the expansion plan could cost taxpayers, declining to put a price tag on a final proposal.

Labor also promised a $2.5 million “access all areas” pass program which would see children between the ages of five and 15 receive a $50 voucher to attend arts events and experiences.

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