Mullewa Health Centre won’t wait until after Geraldton Hospital upgrade completion, says Health Minister

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has denied telling a meeting that construction at Mullewa Health Centre would have to wait until the completion of upgrades to Geraldton Health Campus. Responding to a query from Opposition Leader and Moore MLA Shane Love on February 16, Ms Sanderson said that while Geraldton’s hospital upgrades were the priority, Mullewa’s project would not wait until 2026 or beyond. The response came after the Mullewa Mail reported Ms Sanderson had told a meeting of local figures that construction would start at Mullewa following the completion of upgrades to Geraldton Health Campus. The Health Minister denied this was the case. “That is absolutely untrue. I never said that,” she said. “I did not say that we would wait until the redevelopment at Geraldton was complete, but we are starting the Geraldton hospital redevelopment first because of its strategic importance to the region.” It is expected the Geraldton Health Campus redevelopment won’t be completed until at least 2026, and Mr Love raised concerns that it would be at least a decade between the project’s announcement in 2016 and its completion. “Mullewa sits with no guarantees and no hospital upgrades after six years of neglect from this government,” he said. Ms Sanderson met with City of Greater Geraldton deputy mayor Jerry Clune, Mullewa-based councillor Jennifer Critch and CEO Ross McKim, as well as Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton and Agricultural Region MLC Sandra Carr, to speak about the health centre during Cabinet’s visit to Geraldton earlier this month. The Health Minister reiterated the Government’s support for the project, which was meant to see construction begin in 2017 but has been delayed, and told the local figures a channel of communication would remain open to provide updates. Ms Sanderson also told the group the project would exceed its allocated budget of $6.3 million, due to rising costs since the pandemic. Her visit came after a call was sent out by the City of Greater Geraldton for Ms Sanderson to visit Mullewa or speak with local figures about the delays to Mullewa Health Centre.