Health Infrastructure Minister John Carey is adamant the new women’s and babies hospital in Murdoch will be delivered by 2029 but has left the door open for cost blowouts as he revealed the design for the $1.8 billion facility.
Carey announced the hospital, being built by Italian builder WeBuild, would be 12 storeys high, contain 274 beds and 2500 new parking bays across two separate car parks.
An artist impression of the new Women and Babies hospital at Murdoch.
It will include inpatient facilities for gynaecology and maternity patients, a neonatal unit for newborns, operating theatres, a family birthing centre and outpatient clinics.
Carey brushed aside questions about the cost of the project after a leaked status report from April suggested the facility was tracking to cost more than $1.9 billion, saying that was before the newly formed Office of Major Infrastructure Delivery took over the project from WA Health.
However, he said he couldn’t rule out cost escalations in the future.
“These things are always changing. I have to say this: I’ll never rule it out. As the Minister for housing, I know this, cost escalations are a matter of fact of life,” he said.
“However, through [OMID] having oversight of these kinds of projects, we’re very focused, obviously on cost, but also delivery schedule.
“There were doubters; the opposition has talked down this timeframe. They said we can’t do it. What is demonstrated is that through our office of major projects, we are taking a very accelerated approach to delivering our hospital infrastructure.”
Earthworks are currently underway and piling works will begin in November.
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