Construction is now officially underway on the new Rouse Hill Hospital, a major and long-awaited milestone for health care here in Northwest Sydney.

For local families, the new hospital will be a game-changer. Northwest Sydney is one of the fastest-growing regions not just in New South Wales, but in the country. For far too long, investment in local infrastructure – particularly health services – has failed to keep pace with population growth, leaving families travelling further and waiting longer to access the care they need.

That’s why the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are getting on with the job, working together to deliver the hospital our community deserves. The new Rouse Hill Hospital will be a world-class facility designed to serve our growing region. It will make a real difference, not just by providing care closer to home, but by easing pressure on surrounding hospitals and emergency departments.

On the back of our successful local campaigns, I promised at the election to ensure the hospital would open with both an emergency department and full maternity services. That promise is now becoming a reality, supported by $120 million in funding from the Albanese Government.

The Albanese Government is also investing more than $200 million to widen Windsor Road near the hospital site, improving traffic flow and helping ensure families, patients and staff can reach the care they need safely and without delay.

The new hospital builds on the Albanese Government’s record investment in local health care, including the recently opened Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at Rouse Hill Town Centre, the largest ever cut to the cost of PBS medicines, and a record boost to Medicare – delivering more bulk-billing doctors close to home.

There’s more work to do, and I’ll keep working with the Minns Government and our local Labor team to strengthen health services across North West Sydney.