Sippy Downs is the Best Site for Hospitals
26 November 2005
In the development of a community, nothing matters more than
education and health. The prospect that on the Sunshine Coast two
of those major institutions could grow together, sharing resources
and contributing to each other's progress, is the most important
coalition of interests that has ever been proposed for the future
of the Sunshine Coast.
Because of that, I have been disappointed at the controversy and
the lack of commitment to the new hospital complex being at Sippy
Downs that has emerged from some predictable, but some surprising
sources in the last few weeks, but thankfully not the Premier.
When the Premier announced the location of the hospitals and
outlined his conviction that hospitals and universities can best
develop important synergies when co-located, he was not only
reflecting an informed personal vision, but also what has happened
successfully elsewhere in the world. The greatest advances in
medicine come from university research so there is no more obvious
a coalition of interests than a university and hospital working
together within a short walking distance. This could be a great
hospital, not just another hospital as a result.
Some within Maroochy Shire Council seem concerned at the
infrastructure costs, and would probably prefer the hospital within
reach of existing infrastructure nearer central Maroochydore.
Kawana interests would no doubt prefer the hospital further
south.
Whether it is public or private interests being aired, it seems
the principal objections hinge on establishment costs or location.
The University itself was subjected to similar criticisms when it
was established, and some prejudices still linger. The University
and the hospitals proposal are imagined by some to be a further
burden on the ratepayer and shire debt, rather than institutions
which, over time, provide incalculable and irreplaceable benefits,
both economic and social.
The University is carrying its own debt because it is investing
in the future, and consequently pumping far more into the local
economy, directly and indirectly than the amount of any local
government financial concession. The hospitals will do the same and
do it more expertly and powerfully if allowed to develop research
as well as provide basic health services, co-located with the
University. A symbiotic relationship can only develop when
institutions of this kind are physically and intellectually almost
inseparable. It is already happening with Chancellor College.
As for the surrounding urban fabric, a new Sippy Downs township
was gazetted nearly ten years ago. A new road system will be
completed within eighteen months providing access north, south,
east and west, at a distance from the gridlock of the Coastal
strip. It is a greenfield site and therefore there are building
flexibilities.
The University and the hospitals working together will provide
unparalleled opportunities on this unique site. R&D driven
health related industries would be drawn as occupants of an urban
technology park, as in parts of California. An exciting
transformation of Sippy Downs is within reach for visionary
planners.
The Gold Coast, unimpeded by the Sunshine Coast's controversies,
is already charging ahead with its University-hospitals link and
gaining extra funding as a result.
There is still too cautious and conservative an approach to key
infrastructure developments on this Coast. There should be an eye
on the future and not the past.
The University is trying to link with some of these key
initiatives because the sustainability of them increasingly depends
on knowledge and research as well as market forces. So many
examples exist world-wide where sport, art and medicine, for
example, are directly associated with research and teaching
universities, and their successes benefit the whole community.
I do hope that Sippy Downs is confirmed as the hospitals site
soon, and together we can prove that there can be huge advances
achieved together for the long-term benefit of a community still
short on cutting-edge infrastructure.
Professor Paul Thomas is Vice-Chancellor of University of
the Sunshine Coast