A Shorten Labor Government will improve heart care for people in Central Queensland by building a state-of-the-art cardiac theatre at Rockhampton Hospital.

Central Queensland’s population is booming - but Rockhampton Hospital currently does not have the best possible facilities to diagnose and treat heart conditions.
 
As a result, 1,400 Central Queenslanders are forced to travel to Brisbane for these services every year – costing taxpayers an estimated $3 million for patient transfers.
 
The people of Central Queensland deserve better.
 
Labor will give Rockhampton Hospital patients the facilities they need by investing $11.1 million to deliver a Hybrid Cardiac Catheterisation Theatre. The investment will also deliver six cardiac ward beds and six recovery beds.
 
This commitment also includes a $380,000 investment to increase cardiac capacity at the Gladstone Hospital.
 
An independent report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier this year confirmed the need for improvement.
 
This investment will also reduce pressure on other parts of the hospital, which is suffering as a result of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government’s cuts.
 
When he was Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut more than $700 million from Australia’s hospitals. That included a $3.6 million cut from Rockhampton hospital between 2017-2020 – equivalent to five doctors or 10 nurses.
 
Over the same period, the Liberals have cut $6.1m from Central Queensland hospitals and $160m from across the state.
 
Now Scott Morrison is trying to lock in those cuts for another five years to 2025 – a deal the Queensland Government has rejected as unfair.
 
Only someone who is staggeringly out of touch would cut money from hospitals while trying to give a tax handout to the banks.
 
Unlike Morrison and the Liberals, who are only for the top end of town, Labor will deliver a fair go for Australia. A fair go means investing more in our hospitals.
 
Labor has a proud record delivering healthcare for the people of Rockhampton. When last in office we invested $76 million to expand Rockhampton Hospital.
 
Labor believes it should be your Medicare card, not your credit card, which determines your access to great healthcare in Australia.