$355 million to expand St John of God Midland Public Hospital

ANTHONY ALBANESE MP
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

ROGER COOK MLA
PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

MARK BUTLER MP
MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE

A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will work with the Cook Labor Government to build Western Australia’s future, today announcing a major expansion to St John of God Midland Public Hospital.

This election is a clear choice: between Labor, who will strengthen Medicare and deliver better healthcare for Australians, and Peter Dutton and the Liberals who will cut Medicare and leave Australians without the services they rely on.

We will invest $200 million to deliver more hospital beds, more operating theatres, more ICU and neonatal care beds and a redesign of the obstetrics and neonatal unit.

This is on top of $105 million to upgrade the emergency department already committed by the Cook Government, with a further $50 million to be invested as part of this expansion.

The $355 million expansion of the St John of God Midland Public Hospital will expand the availability of free, public health care and reduce ambulance ramping to meet the needs of patients in Perth’s growing eastern suburbs and the Wheatbelt.

This commitment builds on the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to delivering free, quality healthcare for West Australians. We are:

Boosting funding to all Western Australian public hospitals next year by 11 per cent to $3.62 billion, to help cut waiting lists, reduce waiting times in emergency rooms and manage ramping;
Delivering eight Medicare Urgent Care Clinics that have been visited by more than 150,000 West Australians. We will open another six across WA. This is free healthcare, where all you need is your Medicare card;
Making the largest investment in Medicare since its creation 41 years ago, so more Australians can see a doctor for free. This will mean an additional 1.9 million free GP visits for West Australians and boost the number of bulk billing clinics to more than 400;
Make cheaper medicines even cheaper, with a PBS script to cost no more than $25 next year – providing important cost of living relief on top of the $133 million that Western Australians have already saved from cheaper medicines.

This investment in public health care is in stark contrast to Peter Dutton, who was voted the worst Health Minister in Medicare history by Australia’s doctors, after he tried to cut $50 billion from public hospitals and end bulk billing with a fee for every GP visit.

Quotes attributable to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“We’re working with the Cook Labor Government to build Western Australia’s future.

“If re-elected, we will invest $200 million to extend St John of God Midland Public Hospital to deliver more beds and a new emergency department.

“Only Labor is strengthening Medicare, with the largest ever investment in more than 40 years.

“This means more free trips to the doctor, cheaper medicines and more Urgent Care Clinics – where all you need is your Medicare card not your credit card.”

Quotes attributable to the Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook:

“My Government will never stop working towards ensuring Western Australians live in the healthiest state in the country.

“We have the strongest economy in the nation – and the fastest growing population in the nation. But we need to ensure our hospitals continue to grow to keep up with that.

“This redevelopment of St John of God Midland Public Hospital will significantly boost capacity – slashing wait times and tackling ambulance ramping while increasing the size of the ICU by 50 per cent.

“This announcement supports my Government’s record health investment, which has delivered thousands of new doctors and nurses, as 700 new beds over the past three years – the equivalent of a new tertiary hospital.”

Quotes attributable to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler:

“This election is a choice between Labor's plan to keep building or Peter Dutton's promise to cut. Only a vote for Labor is a vote for stronger Medicare.

“Australia's doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.

“Everything in Peter Dutton's record tells us that he will start by cutting Medicare and he won't stop there. He will cut everything except your taxes.”

MONDAY, 31 MARCH 2025