$6000 a day to keep lights on at empty #Perth Children’s Hospital

WA taxpayers are forking out thousands of dollars a day to keep lights on at the empty Perth Children’s Hospital.

The McGowan Government has spent $371,000 on power bills for the controversy-plagued hospital over nine weeks in May and June, The Sunday Times can reveal.

The hospital’s daily electricity cost averages almost $6000 — the equivalent of the yearly power bill of four Perth homes.

The Child and Adolescent Health Service only began paying the electricity charges after the McGowan Government decided to accept “practical completion” of PCH from builder John Holland in April.

A PCH project spokeswoman said hospital staff occupied most of the building during the day and night. They required lighting to “complete important commissioning activities to prepare the space for operations”.

“Lighting is also required after-hours to assist the security team who walk the building regularly throughout the night to monitor the large site,” she said.

“Since ownership of the building, attempts are continuing to reduce lighting use wherever possible.”

It is now 115 days since Government took ownership of the site and there is still no opening date.

Yesterday, Opposition health spokesman Bill Marmion said the power bill revelation raised questions about why practical completion was granted, despite lead contamination problems being unresolved.

A parliamentary inquiry into the fiasco is looking into quality of building products, governance and risks associated with granting practical completion.

The Government previously admitted the drawn-out completion of the project was costing WA taxpayers $5.8 million a month since April. This includes paying $500,000 a month for an empty car park.

The Government hopes a phosphate treatment which started in May will stop lead leaching from brass fittings in the hospital’s water pipes.

Health Minister Roger Cook said the Government would receive the latest water test results from WA’s chief health officer this Friday.

Mr Cook said WA Health had sought legal and technical advice on the implications of accepting practical completion.

“Granting practical completion, with water as a defect, enabled the State to take responsibility for PCH without delay,” he said.

“It enabled the State to immediately proceed with essential chemical treatment using polyphosphate as well as removing access constraints on clinical commissioning activities.”

Source: $6000 a day to keep lights on at empty Perth Children’s Hospital | Perth Now