$30m promise

By Nicole Williams
A RE-ELECTED Labor Government would provide $30 million to expand Casey Hospital.
Premier John Brumby announced the funding as part of Labor’s ‘Let’s keep building hospitals’ policy.
“There are more families moving to the area and we need to make sure the hospital can continue to meet the growing demand,” Mr Brumby said.
The project would expand theatre capacity at Casey Hospital by adding a surgical operating room and a new surgical ward with 30 extra beds.
However, Narre Warren South Liberal candidate Gary Rowe said the commitment was a ‘fairytale’ unless Labor could offer a start or completion date.
“It is a fairytale because they’re not prepared to provide a commencement date,” he said.
Mr Rowe said the Liberal Party had committed to funding 840 new hospital beds, including beds for Casey, and increasing numbers of nurses and doctors in hospitals to be delivered during the first term.
Narre Warren South Labor MP Judith Graley supported the announcement.
“If Labor is re-elected, this funding will mean even better hospital services for local residents,” she said.