Hansard debates

Ms SULEYMAN (St Albans) (09:56:48): Recently I joined 50 very excited midwives and nurses from Western Health for a very special sneak peek at the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital. It was fantastic to see the frontline staff see their new workplace and also to hear the feedback from the midwives and nurses, including how they felt about the new hospital, in particular the state-of-the-art facilities, which will provide families and staff with comfort, flexibility and ease of mind. We were all taken aback at the large private rooms and especially the LED starry night ceiling, which I know will be a hit with the children. We are very excited that this hospital will be opened this year. We saw firsthand multiple birthing suites, the special care nursery and specialist equipment also installed. Most importantly, we all know that the west is growing each day. Just last year we had 5000 births at Sunshine Hospital, including in just the last couple of months more than 500 babies born in the west. We did not waste time when the Andrews Labor government was elected in 2014. We made sure to invest in health care in the west. We are also providing another $30 million for an emergency department.