'Forgotten' Pilbara town waits for promised hospital as another budget passes by
The state government can rely on the Pilbara region to bring in iron ore royalties, but can Pilbara residents rely on the government for health care?
Residents in the Pilbara's Shire of Ashburton have been left disheartened after the Western Australian state budget pushed back spending on a long-awaited hospital.
Ashburton Shire President Audra Smith told The Last Place on Earth it was "appalling" the state government was "forgetting about the regional and remote towns that are providing and contributing to the WA economy."
Back in 2021, former Premier Mark McGowan travelled to the Ashburton town of Tom Price to announce plans for the new hospital development.
"This will deliver a massive improvement in health outcomes for people in Tom Price and provide a state-of-the-art hospital to replace an ageing facility," he said in a press release at the time.
Audra Smith, before she was elected Shire President, attended McGowan's appearance in Tom Price. She says a timeline was presented: Plans and tenders out in 2021 and 2022, construction beginning in 2023, and the hospital opening in 2024.
But since the announcement, nothing has happened, according to Smith. "We haven't had any shovel to dirt," she said.
"Tom Price Hospital is over 57 years old. It's an old building. It's got a lot of infrastructure problems. Last week we had a community meeting with our Tom Price community members. We had over 60 people there. The stories I was hearing. I was told by members they were lying in bed and they could see vermin and frogs crawling up in the light space... There's cracks in the walls and some electrical issues. I've also been told there's leaks.
"If that was in the city, would that be appropriate and accepted?"
According to last week's budget papers, just $77,000 will be spent on the project in 2024-25. The bulk of the spend, more than $25 million, has been pushed to 2027-28.
"The community is absolutely disgusted with what came out of the budget," Smith said. "Thursday evening, I had many, many messages, people calling going: 'Have you seen the budget?' I mean, what's $77,000 going to do towards the hospital?"
Tom Price is around 1,600 kilometres from Perth near the Hammersley Range, where around 80% of Australia's known iron ore reserves are located. The town's population is less than 3,000. The Shire of Ashburton is geographically about half the size of the state of Victoria, with a total population of less than 8,000. All the big iron ore miners operate there, including Fortescue, Hancock, and Rio Tinto.
In fact, that Mark McGowan quote above didn't come from a press release sent by the government. It came from a press release sent by Rio Tinto. That's because Rio Tinto chipped in most of the spending commitment for the hospital: $20 million, with $12.8 million added by the state government.
Western Australia's wealth, of course, largely derives from iron ore: The state budget said royalties from the industry would total $9.8 billion in 2023-24.
"Our Shire of Ashburton, with our FIFO group, contributes over $36 billion towards the state economy, and yet they don't have adequate health infrastructure," Smith said. "That's not good enough."
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson did not respond to a media enquiry from The Last Place on Earth.
In March, she told the Legislative Assembly the government remained committed to the project.
"We are in a constrained construction environment and we are still working through those challenges," she said.
"I acknowledge that it takes time to progress significant infrastructure projects and it can be frustrating for communities, and we share that frustration. We are working with the available construction market, which is there to actually build these things."
She had some fierier words about the Shire of Ashburton's advocacy on the issue when she spoke to ABC Pilbara earlier this month.
"I am quite frustrated by what seems to be, I think, a questionable use of ratepayer's funds for a politically motivated campaign," she said.
"The basis of their campaign is about the services and that is a misleading and dishonest campaign.
"It is ageing infrastructure, I acknowledge that, but the range of services remain. There has been no reduction in services."
Melissa Price, the Federal Liberal Member for Durack, a massive electorate that includes the Shire of Ashburton, took her concerns about the missing hospital and the Ministers' comments to Federal Parliament on Tuesday.
"Clearly, it's not about money; it's all about priorities," she said. "With the state government's $2.6 billion surplus [forecast for 2024-25], there is no excuse for ignoring Tom Price's critical need for adequate health care.
"So to the Health Minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson: please, Minister, do your job and stop attacking hardworking Shire President Audra Smith, who is doing nothing but supporting her community."
Update 17 May: You can hear the full interview with Audra Smith in the most recent episode of The Last Place on Earth podcast.
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