Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House the imminent closure of Queensland's Royal Children's Hospital. It remains a poorly planned and executed political decision that is contrary to the public interest, especially noting projected population growth. It shares background with the failed payroll system. If the closure proceeds, mothers carrying at-risk babies will no longer be able to deliver at the Royal Women's Hospital. Sick new-born babies and children will no longer have access to existing world-renowned patient care, teaching and research expertise achieved through the Royal Children's Hospital's co-location with highly-regarded academic hospitals and world-class research institutions. Queensland's paediatric, women's, adolescent and adult healthcare, plus training and research, will be enduringly and irretrievably compromised by the closure. It will critically deprive Brisbane North and beyond of comprehensive award-winning paediatric emergency and related services. Leaving only a single provider of tertiary paediatric care in Queensland will limit future choice and contestability regarding access, quality and affordability of essential care. This monopoly model has been considered and then rejected in leading Australian capital cities.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to retain and resource Queensland's Royal Children's Hospital as a leading centre of excellence in patient care, teaching and research; simultaneously valuing the vital and irreplaceable links with world-class Women's and other on-site healthcare and infrastructure; maintain a dual tertiary paediatric hospital system that guarantees long-term sustainable choice and access that will benefit current and future generations of sick babies and children, their families, healthcare trainees, researchers and taxpayers.