Health leak suggests WA’s new mums and bubs hospital has blown out before ground has been struck

A project update on the $1.8 billion women and babies’ hospital at Murdoch leaked to the WA opposition suggests the project is already one year late and $150 million over budget before shovel has even struck ground.

The opposition shared the Women and Babies Hospital “tender release” document – which had been prepared for the interagency oversight group in April 2025 – with media during question time in parliament on Wednesday.

The leaked document shared with media.

It suggested the current estimated total cost of the project was $1.954 billion, a jump from $1.787 billion approved by the Cook cabinet.

The document stated the Department of Health was leading a “value management” exercise with the aim of reducing the estimates cost of the project to within the approved budget, but that risk of cost overrun was high. It also forecast the hospital wouldn’t be practically completed until October 14, 2030.

Prior to the leaked document being shared with media, opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam asked Health Infrastructure Minister John Carey in parliament whether the hospital would still be delivered by 2029, as promised ahead of the WA election.

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Carey said that was still the government’s commitment.

Mettam said Carey needed to explain why he told parliament 2029 was still the commitment when this document suggested it would not be open until late 2030.

“Why is there already a $150 million blowout on this project, before a hospital before a brick is laid? The minister stated in Parliament today that the hospital would be open in 2029 when the documents that we have received paints a very different picture,” she said.

Carey was approached for comment but in parliament said Ihe was proud his government was delivering the Women and Babies Hospital and committed to the timeframe publicly outlined.

The leaked document detailed six other risks to the project including “insufficient budget to deliver the brief and associated core functionality”, and that the western car park at the Murdoch site was exceeding budget, leading to additional pressure on the total project.

It also raised concerns about the ability to meet the workforce demand to fill positions across the women and babies’ hospital, as well as at the expanded Osborne Park Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital.

The location of the hospital formed a key battleground in the WA election, with the opposition promising to trilocate it at the QEII medical centre site in Nedlands.

But Labor backed its decision to move the hospital to Murdoch, citing concerns about cost and timeframe blowouts associated with the Nedlands site.

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