Page 1234 - Week 04 - Thursday, 5 May 2022
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At the former CIT Woden site, the team have now completed the physical construction of the new prototype shed. Last week I was pleased to visit the prototype shed for a tour ahead of the formal opening. It has not formally opened yet. I was able to see what the team is bringing together for user groups to experience the new spaces in the critical services building. The shed is currently being fitted out with equipment, including operating theatres, imaging equipment, and simulated intensive care, emergency department and inpatient rooms. This will allow our clinicians to get a feel for the facilities they will be using in the new state-of-the-art critical services building.
Regular consumer workshops have also continued during the design process and are currently being used to provide valuable input into landscaping and courtyards; interior designs, including in the family lounge; and wayfinding, which is one of the most consistent areas of feedback from consumers generally. Major Projects Canberra and Multiplex will continue to hold workshops through to late 2022 as these design elements are finalised.
We are also continuing to talk to the residents surrounding the construction site so that they are aware of any disruptions that might affect them, can raise any issues or suggestions, and are kept up to date on the building’s progress. Our local community reference group for the Canberra Hospital expansion project continues to meet, and regular updates are distributed to the local community through letterbox drops and online.
We also continue to engage with the Garran Primary School, where students have been learning all about the construction site’s two tower cranes and the construction industry. I understand the students really enjoyed short listing names for the cranes that have been put to a public vote, with students engaged from across the school—preschool and all the way through to year 6. The students shortlisted 12 crane names, and it has been a great way to engage Garran Primary School in the work of the project as the cranes bring the building to life. The Name the Crane competition opened on the YourSay website on 28 March and closed on 15 April, and I hope all members took the opportunity to promote this competition to enable Canberrans of all ages to be part of naming the cranes at the Canberra Hospital expansion. The names of our cranes, hard at work on site, will soon be announced. If you have walked past the site recently, you may also have noticed the wonderful artwork that some of Garran Primary School’s younger students have done, which is included on the fencing around the site.
Delivering big construction projects like this can be disruptive, and I sincerely thank all the local neighbours and hospital users for their patience as the work on site continues. It is always difficult to build infrastructure in areas with considerable operations already underway. That is why it was so important to relocate this project onto a part of the Canberra Hospital campus, where construction would not interrupt access to emergency treatment, surgery or inpatient care. We are minimising these disruptions as much as possible while we build this critical piece of health infrastructure that will benefit future generations.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to the Assembly that the Canberra Hospital expansion project is leading the way in environmentally-friendly practice and
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