NSW Budget: New Maitland Hospital build to start in 2018/19

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet included $23.5 million for the new hospital at Metford in the NSW Budget, released on Tuesday.

While the Budget documents weren’t clear as to whether this money would be used to start construction, a Treasury source confirmed the build would begin in 2018/19.

According to the documents, the government will have spent $24.4 million on planning and site preparation between the time the project was announced and the end of this financial year.

Read more: Government to build and run new Maitland hospital

The budget sets out a 2024 deadline for the hospital to be built.

The documents also indicate $134.4 million of the $470 million total cost of the project is coming from Restart NSW - the fund established from the long-term lease of the state’s poles and wires.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced earlier this year that the government would stand alone to build and run the new facility after expressions of interest were sought for a partner from the not-for-profit sector.

It came after sustained outcry from the some parts of the community, Hunter Labor MPs and health workers’ unions over the government’s original plan to enter into a public-private partnership with a for-profit healthcare provider.

The new hospital in Maitland’s east will replace the existing facility, which will close.

Meanwhile, John Hunter Hospital was included in a $15 million allocation for “planning for future works” for neonatal and obstetrics services, to be shared with Nepean, Sydney Children’s at Westmead and Albury.

A statement from Mr Hazzard’s office on Tuesday touted a $2.3 billion “hospital building bonanza”.

But almost a third of this was for a “world class health precinct” in Liverpool - a $740 million project.