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Dan Andrews pays $1 BILLION tribute to the Queen as he declares Her Majesty ‘holds a special place in the hearts of Victorians’
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The government of Daniel Andrews will invest $1.5 billion to rebuild a major hospital and rename it in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Prime Minister announced on Sunday that the money would be spent on improving Maroondah Hospital, in eastern Melbourne, if Labor wins the next election.
The liberal opposition pledged $400 million a day earlier if it came to power.
Queen Elizabeth holds a special place in the hearts of Victorians,” Andrews said.
“A re-elected Andrews Labor government will rebuild and expand Maroondah Hospital before renaming it in honor of Her Majesty.”
Daniel Andrews has vowed to invest $1.5 billion to rebuild a major hospital and rename it in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth I
The prime minister announced on Sunday that the money would be spent on improving Maroondah Hospital, in eastern Melbourne, if Labor wins the next election.
The Queen Elizabeth II Hospital would have new operating theatres, day treatment facilities and specialized care rooms.
A larger medical imaging unit and a new emergency department would also be included in the renovation.
Two six-storey hospital towers will also be built with space for another 200 beds and 9,000 more patients could be treated.
“The whole hospital is essentially being rebuilt,” said Mr Andrews.
The rebuild is expected to cost $1.5 billion and will begin in 2025 and finish in 2029, with 2,500 jobs created by the major upgrade.
Andrews thought the $400 million pledge by the opposition was too small.
“That’s why we’re going to build the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital for what it will cost — over a billion dollars,” he said.
“They haven’t really made a commitment to fix up Maroondah, they’re committed to doing it half way.
‘Queen Elizabeth holds a special place in the hearts of Victorians,’ said Mr Andrews
“(The opposition is) not particularly relevant to what we are announcing today and they have shown it with the utter inadequacy of the commitments they made yesterday.”
Under the opposition’s promise, the new hospital will feature major items such as a new emergency department, ICU and intensive care unit, an upgraded cancer center, additional operating rooms and a larger parking lot for staff.
The details of the renovation and expansion will be worked out with the hospital operator, Eastern Health, and the local community.
“We are going to increase the capacity here by another 100 beds, so that will be more than 420 beds,” opposition spokesman Georgie Crozier said on Saturday.
“That includes the ability to improve mental health, intensive care, general surgical (and) general medical capacity in this hospital.”