Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier.Credit:Justin McManus
The Alfred is in the Greens-held seat of Prahran,which borders the marginal Liberal electorates of Brighton and Caulfield. Labor is also under threat from the Greens in the neighbouring seat of Albert Park.
Andrews declined to commit any funding for The Alfred,instead saying the Coalition had a track record of selling public hospitals rather than funding them.
Guy ruled out matching Labor’s promise to spend $6 billion over 12 yearsto build new campuses of the Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s hospitals in the Arden precinct.
Nearly $12 billion is budgeted for the rail loop over the next 10 years,and theCoalition has been scrutinised about its costings after already committing $8.7 billion to fund20 new and upgraded hospitals over four years.
Guy reiterated that shelving the first stage of the rail loop made his health bonanza possible.
The Coalition has also committed $125 million to the state’s triple zero call service and plans to recruit an extra 40,000 nurses,while Andrews has promised to subsidise the study fees for more than 10,000 nursing and midwifery students.
Labor has also vowed to give nurses and midwives a $5000 sign-on bonus for joining the struggling public system.