Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley Council has written to NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to ensure a pause in the $263.8 million redevelopment of Grafton Base Hospital due to the updated Clarence River Flood Model won’t stop the project progressing.

When Clarence Valley Councillors voted to adopt the updated Clarence River Flood Model at the October 2023 meeting, this resulted in an increase in the probable maximum flood level across parts of the Clarence Valley, including Grafton.

As a result, NSW Health Infrastructure advised that as it works to understand any impact of the updated flood model on the Grafton Base Hospital redevelopment project, consultation with staff, local community and stakeholders has been temporarily paused.

News of the pause on the project quickly spread across the Clarence Valley, with both the Grafton Base Hospital Community Committee and the local community expressing serious concerns about the impact of the temporary pause, and the committee writing to council requesting a meeting to discuss their concerns.

At the December 19 Clarence Valley Council meeting, Mayor Peter Johnstone put forward a Mayoral Minute which called on the NSW Government to ensure the temporary pause wouldn’t stop the redevelopment progressing.

“The Mayoral minute is really to establish and to contact the appropriate people in government to ensure that this pause doesn’t stop the project,” Mayor Peter Johnstone said.

Councillors voted unanimously to support the Mayoral minute that council:

1. Write to the NSW Premier, the Hon. Christopher Minns, MP and the Hon. Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Regional Health: a. seeking an urgent meeting to confirm that the redevelopment of the Grafton Base Hospital will proceed as planned and that the redevelopment remains a priority for the NSW Government; b. confirming Clarence Valley Council and the local community’s strong support for the proposed redevelopment; c. thanking the NSW Government for their ongoing commitment to improving health services in the Clarence Valley
2. Write to the State Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson MP: a. advising of Council’s and the community’s concerns about the “project pause”; b. providing a copy of the letter to the NSW Government for their information.
3. Write to the Federal Member for Page, Kevin Hogan MP advising of the situation.