10 Key Questions for the Minns Government

1. When did the Minns Government decide that Northern Beaches Hospital would become a high-volume surgery hub and why was that decision not disclosed to clinicians or the community at the time?

2. Why was Northern Beaches Hospital chosen to absorb surgical overflow from across Sydney, instead of hospitals closer to the communities with the longest waitlists?

3. Isn’t this decision effectively shifting pressure away from Labor-held electorates in Western Sydney and onto a community that does not vote Labor?

4. How does turning Northern Beaches Hospital into a regional surgery hub comply with Labor’s 2023 election promise to ‘keep care local’?

5. Can the Premier explain why a community with one of the highest rates of private health insurance in Australia is losing local private surgical capacity instead of having it protected?

6. How many local Northern Beaches patients will now be competing with patients from outside the region for surgery, beds and specialist care?

7. Why were senior clinicians informed of this decision only after it was publicly announced and can the Government identify any genuine consultation that occurred beforehand?

8. Why has no detailed clinical services plan or workforce impact assessment been released alongside this announcement?

9. Given Northern Beaches Hospital is one of the best-performing hospitals in NSW, what problem is the Government actually trying to fix here?

10. If this decision leads to longer waits or reduced access for Northern Beaches residents, will the Premier accept responsibility and reverse it?