BUILDING THE HOSPITALS PERTH'S NORTH NEEDS

A Liberal-National Government will build a new public hospital at Yanchep and upgrade Joondalup Health Campus into a major tertiary teaching hospital, delivering the health infrastructure Perth's northern suburbs need to keep pace with rapid population growth.

Planning for the new hospital would commence immediately after the 2029 election, with construction to begin in the first term on a site already identified next to Yanchep Train Station.

The first stage of the Yanchep Health Campus will include a $600 million hospital with capacity for up to 250 beds, a 24-hour emergency department, inpatient and outpatient services, mental health capabilities and room for future expansion.

The Liberal-National Government will also invest $250 million to transform Joondalup Health Campus into a major tertiary teaching hospital, including a new 30-room outpatient clinic to provide an additional 60,000 outpatient attendances each year.

For patients, the expansion will mean more complex clinical services can be delivered closer to home, including advanced cardiac care, comprehensive cancer treatment, trauma services and other specialist procedures that currently require transfer to tertiary hospitals elsewhere in Perth.

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said Labor's failure to plan for Perth's growth had left healthcare struggling to keep pace.

"Perth's northern suburbs are among the fastest-growing communities in Australia, yet healthcare infrastructure has failed to keep pace," he said.

"Labor planned for population growth by building rail lines, but they failed to plan for the hospitals needed to support those same communities."After almost a decade in government, Labor has not opened a single new hospital. We cannot afford more delay.

"The new hospital will serve the rapidly growing communities of Yanchep, Two Rocks, Alkimos, Eglinton, Butler and Jindalee, as well as residents from surrounding regional areas including the southern Wheatbelt.

"Communities in Perth's north deserve access to comprehensive healthcare closer to where they live," Mr Zempilas said.

“The population in this area is growing and we know significant population growth is coming. The responsible thing to do is plan and build the infrastructure to get ahead of continued population growth, not wait until other hospitals are overwhelmed and then respond.

"Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said patients and healthcare workers were already feeling the consequences of Labor's failure to expand capacity.

"West Australians are experiencing too many examples of a health system under strain - record ambulance ramping, overcrowded emergency departments and patients waiting far too long for care," Ms Mettam said.

"Whether it's elderly patients waiting in hospital corridors, vulnerable mental health patients spending days in emergency departments waiting for a bed, or ambulances ramped outside hospitals unable to respond to the next Triple Zero call, the message is clear: our health system needs more capacity."

Ms Mettam said Joondalup Health Campus was already one of the busiest hospitals in the State, with its catchment expected to exceed 550,000 within the next 10 years.

"Upgrading Joondalup into a tertiary teaching hospital will future-proof healthcare delivery in Perth's north while helping relieve pressure across the wider hospital system," she said.

Mr Zempilas said the commitments reflected a proactive approach to health infrastructure planning.

"Our focus is simple: plan ahead, invest in the infrastructure our growing communities need and ensure West Australians can access quality healthcare closer to their home,” he said.

"We won't make the same mistake Labor has made. We will make health a priority from day one."