Fairfield Hospital is located on the corner of Prairie Vale Road and Polding Street in Prairiewood—almost at the exact corner where the electorates of Prospect, Fairfield and my electorate of Cabramatta intersect. Fairfield Hospital provides a wide range of hospital and community services for people in those electorates, and especially for my constituents. Every year Fairfield Hospital admits over 30,000 patients, performs over 7,000 surgical procedures, delivers over 1,500 babies and has over 35,000 presentations to the emergency department. All of this is performed with just 220 beds. For the past 12 years, the Liberal-Nationals Government neglected Fairfield Hospital. It consistently failed to commit the necessary funding to upgrade Fairfield Hospital to keep up with the growing population of my community. Due to this neglect of our health system, my constituents who are in need of urgent medical attention have suffered.

Due to the lack of funding for Fairfield Hospital, patients have reported waiting for months for elective surgery, on average, and it has been reported that 50 per cent of patients spend at least three hours in the emergency department waiting for treatment. I have heard many stories and complaints from constituents that Fairfield Hospital has fallen short of acceptable standards. My family and especially my three children have used this hospital on many occasions. There were times when we waited for sometimes five to eight hours, and when we saw the doctor, we were referred to other hospitals, including Liverpool and Westmead. This is not a criticism of the hardworking doctors, nurses or staff, but more a criticism of the decisions by previous governments that have led to the current situation where this hospital is underfunded, under-resourced and understaffed.

However, under the leadership of Premier Chris Minns and health Minister Ryan Park, we are able to mark a new chapter for public health and for Fairfield Hospital—a chapter that I am proud to be a part of. In delivering on our election promises, the 2023-24 New South Wales budget has included $3 billion for new and upgraded hospitals across Greater Western Sydney. Our Government has committed $550 million in upgrades for Fairfield Hospital, delivering its first major redevelopment since it opened in 1989. The upgrade will include expanding bed capacity, improving facilities for critical and emergency care, and increasing funding to expand critical services at the hospital. These upgrades will lead to reduced waiting times and improved care for patients, giving my constituents the medical care they deserve.

This Government puts people first by listening to our communities and understanding what demands need to be met. We put people first by building infrastructure and delivering services to address what is needed, not just for now but also for the future. This investment in Fairfield Hospital is very much welcomed, and I look forward to seeing continued support for the hospital. I commend the New South Wales Premier, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Western Sydney for their leadership and continuing to deliver on the funding, facilities and resources that New South Wales needs. I look forward to further collaboration with my neighbouring MPs and with the Minns Labor Government to continue to deliver upgrades to Fairfield Hospital and to develop a strong and robust healthcare system in New South Wales.