Labor candidate for Mackellar, Jeffery Quin, has released a statement outlining his stance on the Northern Beaches Hospital.
The statement is as follows:
“As a lifelong resident of Mackellar and long-time advocate for public health, I want the Northern Beaches community to know that Labor is listening—and we care deeply about the future of healthcare on the Northern Beaches.
The current situation with the privately operated Northern Beaches Hospital is unsustainable. While it is clear that the NSW Labor Government must not and will not offer Healthscope a blank cheque, it is equally important that Labor clearly affirms its principled commitment to a strong and accessible public hospital system.
As someone who has proudly worked with the Save Mona Vale Hospital Committee for years, I support the return of core hospital services to public hands. The privatisation of the Northern Beaches Hospital by the former Liberal Government was a policy failure that stripped the region of its public healthcare infrastructure and left our growing community vulnerable.
Labor’s values are grounded in universal, publicly funded and publicly delivered healthcare. The recent introduction of legislation in the NSW Parliament to safeguard public hospitals from future privatisation reflects this commitment, and I welcome the recent establishment of a Northern Beaches Hospital Taskforce by the NSW Labor Government which will examine the future of the disastrous privatisation deal. We must apply those principles here in Mackellar.
Any potential transition of the public portion of Northern Beaches Hospital to government operation must be conducted transparently, with proper due diligence, and without propping up private profit. I commend NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park for their cautious and responsible approach, ensuring that the public interest is prioritised.
In recent weeks, Labor Governments have delivered funding for Mona Vale Road and improvements to local bus services—critical wins for our region.
I am here to ensure Labor’s voice is heard clearly and consistently on public health. The community rightly expects and deserves nothing less than transparency, accountability, and a government that prioritises people over profit. My commitment is to advocate for a truly public hospital system, here and across the state.
Let’s bring healthcare back to where it belongs—in the hands of the people.”