MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

Member for Kiama Gareth Ward has expressed his disappointment with NSW Labor for politicizing the new Shellharbour Hospital project that was funded under the former coalition government.

Mr Ward said that the Premier Chris Minns was kind enough to credit the former government who funded and built Sydney’s Metro, but despite all the heavily lifting being done by Mr Ward and the former government, Labor turned a second sod, took a photo and took all the credit.

“Labor must think people are stupid. A new hospital takes years to plan and fund”, Mr Ward said.

“Let me be very clear, in Cabinet I fought for and secured $720 million for Shellharbour Hospital. What makes yesterday’s event clearly a political photo opp is that neither the newly re-elected Mayor of Shellharbour nor I as the local MP were invited to Labor’s second sod turn.

“It’s one thing to ignore me, but to ignore Mayor Homer who was overwhelmingly re-elected just days ago smacks of political games by Illawarra Labor who are desperate to look like they have delivered something. They haven’t.

“Rather than posing for photo opps, NSW Labor need to explain why the existing Shellharbour Hospital has a helipad and a brand-new hospital will not. This is just madness.

“Labor’s plan is to fly critical patients into Albion Park Airport and then transfer them via road to Shellharbour Hospital past a busy school on often congested roads.

“If you are going to have a critical medical incident, best you have it outside of school hours according to NSW Labor.

“Whilst the Member for Shellharbour was keen to pose for a photo yesterday, she seems to have gone quite on her pre-election commitment, as recorded by the Illawarra Mercury, to return maternity services to Shellharbour.

“The southern Illawarra is the fastest growing area in NSW outside of south-western Sydney and it makes no sense to have a brand-new hospital without these critical services.

“I will continue to use Parliament to pressure the government, and I would encourage people to continue to sign our community petition which is available on my website,” Mr Ward concluded.