OPINION
THE camera is pointed down, showing no more than a pair of work boots and the floor of what can only be assumed is a workplace.
A grizzled voice in the distance is urging the audience in the room to consider how they vote at the Victorian election, held last November.
“Regardless of what we think about Dan Andrews – everyone’s got their own opinion – we actually need Labor to get in,” the voice says.
As for the alternative: “If Liberal do get in, we’re f***ed.”
It’s a video, posted to social media app TikTok on October 28 last year, claimed to be of a Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union “toolbox talk” in Melbourne the same day.
Such talks can involve a union representative visiting a worksite for an informal meeting.
As the speaker continues, attention turns to the hospital construction pipeline, with a list of Labor’s commitments.
“There’s a $6 billion hospital going up in North Melbourne,” the voice says.
Tick, a 12-year project with that price tag was announced earlier last October.
“Yesterday (it was) announced another hospital, half a billion dollars, at Albury-Wodonga.”
Tick, it was announced on October 27 that Victoria would put $225 million towards a $558 million redevelopment there.
“Maryborough hospital, a hundred million.”
Tick, that money hit the budget two years ago.
“$500 million hospital at Mildura.”
Um … wait, what?
PLAY THE VIDEO IN THE IMAGE CAROUSEL AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
As we in Sunraysia know, there was no Labor announcement that Mildura was getting $500 million for its hospital – before, during or after the election.
But in this video, that outcome was seemingly held up as locked-in and happening, alongside projects that each lined up with what had been announced by the government.
The CFMEU and the Victorian Government did not comment on the video when approached by Sunraysia Daily.
However, the idea the government was planning to spend that kind of amount in Mildura at that time?
Well that’s entirely plausible.
The government had completed a master plan on the hospital. Its former health minister had earlier in the year said there was “substantial capacity” to fund the “next steps” for the hospital and there was a promise of an even greater spend, $750 million, from the Coalition.
If this video – which has recorded more than 91,000 views – is to be believed, it can only add to a perception that the money was there, but somewhere along the way a call was made not to push ahead.
Could it be a slip of the tongue? A reference to the Monash Medical Centre election promise, costed at between $510 million and $560 million, despite the speaker’s Mildura comment being followed by “and this is just regional stuff”?
We can only speculate, but such explanations seem like a stretch.
The next State Budget is 10 days away.
Hopes aren’t particularly high for Mildura hospital funding to be included, especially given Labor opted against taking it to an election just six months ago.
But it’s worth revisiting what that former minister, Martin Foley, said this time last year.
The government was going to “make a professional commitment at the appropriate time, which will be very soon”.
Yet this week, the government could not say much more than the master plan was still being considered.
“Very soon”?
Tick-tock.
