What the Tasmanian Liberals will do:

Build a New Generation Royal Hobart Hospital on the existing CBD site.

The Liberals have developed a plan to build a New Generation Royal Hobart Hospital on the existing hospital precinct.

Our plan caters for a three-stage development and a Hodgman Liberal Government will commence stage one in its first term of government.

The first stage will involve demolishing Block E and Block F – two blocks that face onto Collins and Campbell Streets, and are currently under-utilised.

There will be limited disruption to patients or the existing services that the Royal Hobart Hospital currently provides during the demolition process.

We will then build a new block on the site that will be nearly 35,000 square metres in size. This will increase the operational size of the entire hospital by 60 per cent. However, the new building only needs to be 10 storeys high to achieve this considerable increase in size for the hospital.

We have taken expert advice on our model.

The Liberal plan includes:

• Stage 1: demolition and rebuild of Blocks E and F will provide an additional 34,680 sqm and making the hospital 60% operationally larger;
• Stage 2: refurbishing and re-orienting Block A; and
• Stage 3: demolition and rebuild of Block H to provide an additional 15,392 sqm and making the hospital almost double the current operational size - if needed and financially responsible.

The Liberal plan is fiscally responsible, provides first-class new facilities for the Royal Hobart Hospital, capitalises on over $100 million already spent on the site over the past 20 years and saves millions of dollars to spend on health services and facilities right around the State.

Around the nation and the world, hospitals are being rebuilt on existing sites, and a Hodgman Liberal Government would utilise this expertise to ensure that building the New Generation Royal Hobart Hospital does not cause unnecessary disruption or discomfort for patients or staff.

This development is also a key element of the Liberals’ vision for the Hobart CBD, and waterfront, both of which are languishing under ten years of Labor.

The use of a prime waterfront site for a new hospital, as Labor had proposed, was madness and denied all Tasmanians the opportunity to get the most out of this site.

Our plan paves the way for a transparent public discussion on the future of this site, and to incorporate it into the master plan that is being developed for the waterfront.

It also ensures that the future of Hobart’s deep water port is secure.

So far as the CBD is concerned, retaining the hospital’s 3000 staff in the CBD is critical to longer term plans to bring it back to life.

After 11 years of Labor...
The State Labor Government went to the 2006 election with a commitment to rebuild the Royal Hobart Hospital from the “inside out” on the current site. 

In September 2006, it changed its position to building a $1.2 billion new hospital on a contaminated site on the Hobart waterfront – a plan that would have threatened the viability of the Hobart Port and potentially devastated the Hobart CBD.

After three years of planning costing in excess of $10 million, in May 2009 the State Labor Government again changed its position to redevelop the hospital on the current site but defer completion until 2030 – 21 years from now!

How long will it take to deliver?
The Liberal plan caters for a staged development and stage one would start in the first term of a Liberal Government.  If Federal funding were available, all stages could be brought forward.

How tall will the new building be?
10 storeys, back and front (not the 16 storeys as stated by Lara Giddings) and lower than the AMP building and proposed Sultan hotel development. The existing Block A would be the tallest block on the site.

What new facilities would be provided?
We would take expert advice on this, given current minor capital upgrades and re-orientation of some services at the hospital. There are possibilities of using Block A as a specialist Women and Children’s hospital. There is also possibility for a new multi -storey car parking on vacant land close to the site, and more development options in Collins Street to be discussed with the Hobart City Council.

What about the northern suburbs?
While our preference would be for all services located on or around the current site, we are not opposed to moving some non-acute services (day surgery, outpatient clinics) off -site when demand and finances allow. The northern suburbs would be a serious option for those services.

Would the Hobart Private remain on site?
Yes. Most of our doctors work in both the public and private hospital sectors and it is widely accepted that best hospital models are those that are co-located. The Liberal Plan offers flexibility to negotiate with Hobart Private on the expiry of their lease for the best outcome for health services in Tasmania.

What is the cost?
The advice we have received from architects and experts in this area is that the cost of Stage 1 will be around $250 million.

Does the Liberal Plan require Federal funding?
No, but we would expect that as it has in the past, the Federal Government would play its fair share in helping fund public hospital infrastructure in Tasmania.   Federal Government funding would enable our plans to be brought forward.

Is it safe to build over the rivulet?
On advice we have received, yes. Building across the rivulet using large foundation girders was shown to work most successfully when Block G (now Hobart Private) was constructed.

What about the $100m for maintenance agreed to by the Parliamentary Public Works Committee in 2009?
The Liberal plan will not compromise existing maintenance and minor capital upgrade plans agreed to by the Parliamentary Public Works Committee.  The Liberals’ expenditure is in addition to this funding.  Building on the existing program of capital works, the combined investment into the Royal Hobart Hospital over the next five years will be around $250 million.

How will you fund this?
The Liberals initially planned to legislate to quarantine the sale proceeds of TOTE Tasmania for hospital infrastructure upgrades, to ensure this money was not squandered by Labor.  In November 2009, Labor announced the sale would not proceed, but the Liberals remain committed to building a new Royal Hobart Hospital and have a plan to do this, without the need to borrow.  We have also committed not to take the Tasmanian budget into net debt.