Some of Daniel Andrews’ staunchest supporters have opposed his scheme to rename a hospital in The Queen’s honour.
If reelected in November, the Victorian Premier promised to spend $1 billion to restore Melbourne’s Moorandah Hospital as a monument to Her Majesty.
According to him, “The new Queen Elizabeth II Hospital will completely reconstruct and renovate the Maroondah Hospital.”
As a “mark of appreciation to her steadfast devotion to healthcare and our community,” Mr Andrews said the modification was made.
But since the hospital’s present name is an indigenous term, left-leaning voters and Aboriginal activists slammed the move.
The name of the local municipality where the hospital is located is “Maroondah,” which in the local Aboriginal dialect translates to “throwing leaves.”
Indigenous author Claire G. Coleman volunteered to explain the issue with renaming the hospital to Mr Andrews and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Hello, Daniel Despite the fact that you don’t know me, I would want to volunteer to personally explain to you why renaming a hospital from an Aboriginal term to the name of a deceased colonial ruler is a terrible idea. Get your folks to get in touch with my people,” she tweeted.
Lidia Thorpe, a divisive indigenous senator, chimed in to admonish the prime minister, “This is not what a treaty looks like.”
“Maroondah is a Woiwurrung term that means leaf, representing Maroondah’s lush surroundings. What a disgrace to colonize us once again,” she wrote.
A treaty between the government and indigenous Australians is strongly supported by Mr Andrews, who is further advanced in the negotiations than other states.
A petition started by persons opposed to the plan claims it would “hinder generating substantial goodwill for true reconciliation with First Nations people.”
The Labor Party’s administration committed to investing up to $1.05 billion in the new hospital.
This would add 200 more beds to handle an additional 9000 inpatients annually, along with a new emergency department, surgical rooms, day-procedure facilities, speciality care areas, and two six-story inpatient towers.
Beginning in 2025, construction would add 2500 employment.
Regarding his choice to rename it in honour of Her Majesty, Mr Andrews said that “The Queen was a longtime supporter of Victoria’s hospital system.”
“Whenever she visited their bedsides,” according to the Royal Melbourne and Royal Children’s hospitals, “she displayed her passion for patients and their care.”
The project to renovate the emergency department at the same hospital has been in limbo for four years since Mr Andrews made the pledge during the 2018 election.
Along with a medical centre in Perth, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II already has hospitals dedicated in her honour in Brisbane and Adelaide.
After Victoria’s opposition pledged a $400 million makeover to Maroondah Hospital if it wins the November election, the announcement was made the next day.
Matthew Guy, the leader of the opposition, criticized the administration for its statement and said he didn’t think the hospital would be completed.
Mr Guy informed reporters that the man has eight years to donate $1 billion to the Maroondah Hospital.
If he is elected, I bet he won’t ever construct it.
A new clinical medical research centre at Box Hill Hospital, which, like Maroondah Hospital, is a part of the Eastern Health network, would get $108 million, Mr Guy also said on Sunday.
An 800-space, low-cost parking facility will be included in the funds, at least 400 of which will be set aside for staff members.
In an earlier statement, the opposition said it would abandon a portion of the Suburban Rail Loop and divert the $35 billion budgeted for the project to the health system.