Goulburn Hospital privatisation suspended

The NSW government made the decision on Thursday to pursue a traditional approach due to the lack of “sufficient interest to enable (a) competitive process”. 

Goulburn Health Hub project manager Sophie Ashton said despite her surprise she understood the competitive advantage associated with the expressions of interest to be successful. 

“If there were a small number of EOIs there wouldn’t be sufficient competition to deliver a favourable result for Goulburn,” Ms Ashton said.

“The other hospitals put for tender might have attracted bigger interest to generate this competition.

“When there’s not enough competition there’s less incentive for the transition from public to a partial private hospital.”

Goulburn District Unions president Anna Wurth said Health Minister Jillian Skinner’s announcement there wasn’t enough interest in the public-private partnership for the hospital.

“It sounded like Goulburn Base Hospital wasn’t worth it. Maybe there wasn’t a good enough profit,” she said.

Congratulating the unions’ wonderful job to campaign against the proposal, she encouraged the community to “keep vigilant”.

“We want the hospital built in a timely matter. We’re not completely 100 per cent confident until the hospital is built and money has been spent on it,” she said.

“We have a right for great public service.” 

The EOI for Goulburn Base Hospital closed on October 14.  Health Infrastructure NSW did not reveal the number of EOIs submitted for the hospital.

Ms Skinner announced the public-private partnership originally proposed for Goulburn Base Hospital by the NSW government would be suspended. 

The $120 million upgrade to the hospital will follow the usual process and commence during this term of government. 

The unions have confirmed the rally would still take place on October 30 to fight the closure of Bourke St.