NEWS DESK
Funds for hospital expansion available FUNDING for the $562 million Frankston Hospital redevelopment has been made available in the state budget. The budget was handed down by the state government last week. A total of $16.2 million in taxpayer funding was allocated in the 2020/2021 financial year for the hospital expansion. The budget papers showed that $27.2 million will become available for the project in 2021/2022, $124.6 million in 2022/2023, and $191.1 million in 2023/2024. The budget read that the total estimated investment of $562 million “includes funding beyond 2023-24”. The funding is welcome news for supporters of the project. Just $6 million was set aside for the redevelopment in last year’s budget papers. The project was announced in the leadup to the state election in 2018. It is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. The redeveloped hospital is slated to have extra capacity for 120 hospital beds, two new operating theatres, 13 new emergency department beds, and new women’s and children’s health services. Expressions of interest opened earlier this year to find a private consortium to build the planned Frankston Hospital upgrade (“Private sector sought for hospital works”, The Times, 28/9/20). Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke said the budget also included other significant investments in Frankston. He said that the budget held $4.11 million for upgrades at Karingal Primary School, $12.63 million for Frankston Special Developmental School, and $2.84 million for Nepean Special
School. Just over $100 million in taxpayer funding was put into the “Building Better TAFEs Fund”, which the Frankston Chisholm institute is set to benefit from. “By investing in local schools, our government is investing in the kids of Frankston and their futures,” Mr Edbrooke said. “This budget will help locals reskill, upskill and find new opportunities for a secure, decent job – creating financial security for them and those they love most.” The state government has also committed to building 12,000 new homes for social housing. The budget is usually handed down in May, but was delayed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brodie Cowburn
REDEVELOPMENT plans for Frankston Hospital. Picture: Supplied
Baxter extension hopes off the rails Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au THE state government is still not onboard the Frankston rail extension project. There was no funding for the proposed project in the state budget handed down last week. The business case assessing the cost of the extension was finally released last month. The cost given
for duplicating and electrifying the Frankston line to Baxter was quoted at an eye-watering $1.3 - $1.5 billion. The federal government has committed $225 million to the extension. CEO of advocacy group Committee For Greater Frankston, Ginevra Hosking, said “the extension is vitally important so Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents can board trains at stations near where they live, instead of driving into Frankston’s CBD just to park and further restrict-
ing the suburban centre’s growth and development”. “On budget day, Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas matched the federal $5 billion funding for Airport Rail Link, and announced $2.2 billion for the $50 billion Suburban Rail Loop through Melbourne’s middle suburbs, $2 billion for Geelong fast rail, and $660 million for Shepparton and Warrnambool line upgrades. There was $276 million for Dandenong rail corridor and $5.5 million for track
works at Caulfield. We need the basics. Actually getting people on the train, without commuter parking and traffic clogging Frankston’s CBD,” she said. “Visionary rail projects like airport link and suburban loop are of little direct benefit if we can’t get more people on a train at their local station. When airport link opens, things might deteriorate even further – air travellers could leave their cars in Frankston’s CBD and make the
95-minute train trip to the airport. “We have connectivity failure. Fixing inadequate public transport between Frankston and Langwarrin is recognised by Infrastructure Australia as an immediate top 150 project in the nation. Both federal government and federal opposition recognise the value of this project and have committed to an initial $225 million. The Victorian Labor government has not.”
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Frankston Times
1 December 2020
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