JUST days out from the Victorian election the major parties have tried to outdo each other with promises on hospitals and police numbers.
LABOR committed $150 million to build a stand-alone heart hospital at Monash University, moving it away from the nearby Monash Medical Centre in Clayton.
The coalition has already promised $70 million towards a $120 million heart hospital at the centre, as well as committing to a dedicated children’s emergency department. Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said Labor’s Victorian Heart Hospital would cost up to $300 million and be built by 2018. “This is such a busy place – 12,000 patients each and every year – and that number is going to grow,” Mr Andrews told reporters. “That’s why a mere extension to these current facilities is simply not good enough.” But Health Minister David Davis said the Monash Health board had specifically asked for the heart hospital to be built on site. “Moving the cardiac hospital completely away from the major service is more risky for patients,” Mr Davis told reporters. Monash Heart director, Professor Ian Meredith said he was delighted there was bipartisan support for the need for a stand-alone heart hospital. He would not comment on the difference between the two models. “I think this option is visionary and very thoughtful,” Professor Meredith said. The coalition announced an extra 700 frontline police and 50 more protective services officers if it wins the November 29 election. “This will include an extra 250 blue shirts, who are the police we see patrolling our streets and in police stations across the state,” Premier Denis Napthine said. He said some of the new positions would be police freed up from guarding cells through hiring contractors. Labor announced a plan two weeks ago to free up 400 police cell guards by hiring custody officers rather than putting contractors into police stations. “I’m very troubled by the notion of privatising these services. I don’t think that policing is for profit,” Mr Andrews said. Mr Andrews said he would not put a number on how many police his government would recruit until he had spoken to Chief Commissioner Ken Lay about the police force’s needs. “We’re not going to get into an auction in the next six days,” he said. The Victorian election will be held on Saturday.