Senator for NSW, Ms Deborah O’Neill used a Senate Estimates Hearing to discover the details of a proposed University of Newcastle Health and Medical Research Campus at Gosford Hospital.
“There has been a lot of talk about a new Health and Medical Research Campus to be housed at Gosford Hospital, but none of it has filtered to Canberra,” Ms O’Neill said. “This will be a great project, and I commend the University of Newcastle’s desire to assist in delivering better health outcomes for the Central Coast.
“I join the university and locals in supporting this program, but right now, all we are seeing is a pattern of misinformation, and missing information, from Lucy Wicks,” Senator O’Neill said. “When asked in Senate Estimates recently, representatives of the Department of Education indicated they had heard nothing about this major project,” she said.
Sen O’Neill said despite reports of the University of Newcastle having conversations with the Member for Robertson, Ms Wicks appeared to not have passed on the information to her ministers. “We seem to be getting into a pattern here of misrepresentation,” Ms O’Neill said.
“Big promises, and big projects are being announced but the follow through just isn’t there from the Liberals. “I was proud to fight for, and deliver $7 million for the GP Superclinic, $28.6 million for the Regional Cancer Centre, and $19.55 million to bring the Woy Woy Rehab back to life, in just one term. “We said we’d get these projects, and we got them. “Locals deserve a fair go, and health is too important an issue to mislead the community about. “With the government the way it is, we could be heading to an election any time, and what has actually been delivered by Lucy Wicks and the Liberals for locals?” Sen O’Neill asked.
Sen O’Neill said she would continue to ask questions and fi ght to ensure this project is funded by the government. “I’ve met with the university about their proposal, and I know they are genuine about it progressing. “The Liberals needs to come to the table and contribute to make it happen, but right now it seems to be falling through the cracks of this leaking government,” she said.
The Member for Robertson responded to Sen O’Neill’s allegations by providing a statement from the federal minister for education, Mr Christopher Pyne MP. “Lucy Wicks has met with me and my staff on several occasions regarding her campaign to bring a medical school to the Central Coast, which is the correct process,” Mr Pyne said. “Any decision to go ahead with the campus would be a decision of Government, not the Department.
“Senator O’Neill clearly has no idea about the correct process and she should apologise for her misinformation and stop playing politics with a serious community matter,” he said.
Ms Wicks said she also met the prime minister, minister for fi nance, minister for health, treasury, state government, ministerial staff and other stakeholders all in relation to this project. She said she has been in regular discussions with the University of Newcastle, Central Coast Area Health Service and Gosford Council for a number of months, about this shared vision for the possibility of a Health and Medical Research Institute in Gosford.
“The Labor Senator also omitted a key detail from the department’s position in her media release. “Her transcript of the Estimates Hearing altered the wording of her question and omitted that the Department said:
‘No… but I’ll take on notice that if it comes to light that somebody in my area has been approached, we will tell you on notice’,” Ms Wicks said.
Media release,
5 June 2015
Richard Mehrtens, Offi ce of
Senator Deborah O’Neill
Statement on medical
institute, 7 June 2015
Tim Sowden, Offi ce of Lucy
Wicks MP