If there’s one thing that unites us as a community, it’s our need for health, wellbeing and education.
In the case of the Mornington Peninsula, we deserve better healthcare and education systems.
The Mornington Peninsula has missed out on tens of millions of dollars worth of community funding. We are sorely lacking in the funds we need to enjoy adequate health and education services.
This is why you, your children and your elderly parents have limited access to quality healthcare and education.
This election, the government has pledged more than $6 billion in hospital spending including;
- Royal Melbourne Hospital medical precinct - $2.5 billion
- Maroondah hospital - $1.05 billion
- Austin and Northern hospitals - $1 billion
- West Gippsland hospital - $675m
- Monash hospital - $560m
- Wonthaggi hospital - $290m.
It’s disappointing that once again no significant funds have been committed to upgrading the Rosebud hospital, which is in dire need given its ageing infrastructure and our older local population.
Frankston/Mornington Peninsula has a similar profile to Geelong in terms of employment, health, education and other features. The recently commissioned Frankston Report shows that between 2013 and 2022, the state government channelled more funds into Geelong than the Frankston/Mornington Peninsula combined area in general, and more funds into the education sector specifically (according to Victorian Budget State Capital Program data analysed by UrbanEnterprise).
In fact, in the last decade, the Frankston/Mornington Peninsula combined area received $2.04 billion in state government grant funding, while Geelong received $4.95 billion — a difference of close to 3 billion.
While Geelong has been allocated funding for three major health infrastructure projects in the last decade, our seriously ill residents must travel to Frankston and beyond for treatment.
With more funding, we could meet the future health needs of a growing population on the Mornington Peninsula. We could reduce hospital wait times, restore our operating theatres, add more beds, and more services in our hospitals and healthcare centres. Our families and community networks would have better access to mental health, aged care, maternity and paediatrics services. Those caring for both children and ageing parents would have more support on their hands.
