This is in response to no commitment from NSW Premier Kristina Keneally or NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt in regards to whether there will be funding allocated to the project in the next budget.

Attempts to get an answer from a NSW Premier’s office spokesperson led to being redirected to the NSW Health Minister’s office, where a spokesperson gave the following response:

“A master plan for the Tamworth hospital site is complete and the service procurement and project definition plans are well under way. Significant stakeholder consultation has also been undertaken. The 2010/2011 NSW State budget will be brought down in June.”

MLC for Tamworth Trevor Khan said the greatest danger was that a small amount of money would be allocated in the June budget, allowing a hole to be dug and nothing else done.

“They can say ‘see, we’ve dug a hole’,” he said.

“The NSW Government needs to give a clear and unequivocal commitment in accordance with the clinical services plan.

“They haven’t done so yet.”

Mr Khan said the Government was playing games with the electorate and any election promises were dependent upon the sale of assets.

“They are not entitled to say it’s caused by the Kevin Rudd announcement because the announcement was no surprise,” he said.

The NSW Government first pledged to fund the project in March 2007 and subsequent premiers and health ministers have said construction would begin before March 2011.

Member for Tamworth Peter Draper, though, said according to him nothing had changed in relation to the redevelopment of the hospital.

“I’m very confident we will see construction start in this term and have had many personal assurances that it will start,” he said.

Labor Party MLC Christine Robertson said Tamworth hospital was listed in the capital works, planning was progressing well and the clinicians had had a lot of consultations.