Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has raised controversy when he promised to rebuild and rename a Melbourne hospital in honour of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the state election in November.
In his bid for a third term, the premier said if he were re-elected, his government would spend up to $1.05 billion (US$700 million) to redevelop and expand the capacity of the Maroondah Hospital in Ringwood East.
“The new Queen Elizabeth II Hospital will rebuild and refurbish the Maroondah Hospital from the ground up,” Andrews said on Sept. 18.
The Labor government said the redevelopment would include a new emergency department, operating theatres, day-procedure facilities, specialist care spaces and two six-storey inpatient towers with 200 extra beds, enabling the hospital to serve an additional 9,000 inpatients per year….