Barbara Roughan, Kingscliff.
Geoff Provest wants clarity on what is happening in the new hospital debate. This is strange coming from the master of misinformation!
He claims that ‘despite extensive community consultation and expert planning, NSW Labor is insisting the project be delayed and used for election campaign material. Lives depend on this, the health of our community depends on this.’ The extensive community consultation was an absolute farce, as still many community members are unaware of the facts.
He quotes figures that around 50% of submissions received were against the Cudgen site. The actual figure of more than 63% against doesn’t really matter, as how can 600 submissions from a population of 90,000 people be extensive?
The only way for everyone to be involved would have been a mail out to every resident with a return envelope attached. The consultation process itself was simply a PR exercise to appease outraged residents, and the end result was always going to be the same choice at Cudgen/ Kingscliff,
Mr Provest said on a radio program that he can guarantee that Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah Hospitals will remain open until the new Tweed Valley Hospital is operational. What happens to them after that Geoff? Why can’t you tell us the truth about this, instead of saying no plans have been decided upon yet. If NSW Health can’t tell us what will happen to both of these hospitals in the future, how can they be expert planners?
They don’t even have consensus on the completion dates, as the funds won’t be there till 2025, according to Premier Berejiklian, although the honourable Brad Hazzard insists it will be in 2022. How can lives depend on this? Does Mr Provest not have faith in our wonderful medical staff at both hospitals who have always treated their patients with the utmost care. They will continue to do this till the new hospital is finished, in 2022 or 2025, depending on which politician you believe is telling the truth.
He claims ‘the Labor Party think it’s OK to play politics, it is disgraceful!’ What is disgraceful is the way in which he insists on his scaremongering tactics, trying to rush this through before the next election in March. What is disgraceful is the fact that the majority of elderly residents in Tweed, who mostly rely on public transport, have not been informed of the facts, that they will be losing their hospital to one much further away.
Mr Walt Secord, NSW Labor MP, is quoted as saying ‘The Nationals should just listen to the community and tell their developer mates to keep their hands off Kingscliff.’ Thousands of locals from all over the Tweed Shire agree with this!
The residents deserve the truth about the new Tweed Valley Hospital, but when are we going to hear it?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
