Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls had a firsthand look at how urgent the $200 million Cooktown Hospital redevelopment was during a site visit in May. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The State Government will not comment on rumours the long-overdue Cooktown Hospital redevelopment is already bracing for a “significant” cost blowout beyond its $200 million budget.
With $9m of the project cost in the 2025-26 Queensland budget, the upgrade is not due for completion until the 2029-30 financial year, however, there are concerns the $200m will not be enough to get the job done.
A senior health source, who approached Cape York Weekly on the condition of anonymity, said they believed it was “incredibly unlikely” the hospital upgrade would be completed on budget.
“There’s concern already about what it’s actually going to cost,” the source said.
“The government’s still beating the $200m drum, but we’re hearing scuttlebutt … about that not being anywhere near enough.
“I had one (project manager) throw a $50-100m blowout figure around; if that’s the case, it’s going to be significant for Cooktown from the viewpoint of what the end redevelopment will look like.
“In meetings behind closed doors, it seems incredibly unlikely it’s ($200m) going to get it done.”
Major Cape York infrastructure projects have been plagued by cost overruns recently, with the new Archer River bridge ultimately costing $131.252m after an initial budget of $32.3m.
It is understood the Cooktown project scope remains unchanged, and that the government still believes, at least publicly, the upgraded hospital will be delivered for $200m after a design team was recently engaged to progress the redevelopment.
A spokeswoman for Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls would not comment on the budget blowout rumours, but said the condition of the hospital was due to a “decade of neglect” by the former Labor government.
“The Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service deteriorated under Labor’s decade of neglect,” the spokeswoman said.
“This redevelopment is crucial for the local community, and the Crisafulli government is committed to delivering it; in this year’s budget, $9m of the total $200m projected cost has been allocated to ensure things stay on track.”
Cook Shire Council Mayor Robyn Holmes said she expected the project to exceed its $200m budget, adding the council was waiting for the government to unveil a detailed design.
“I believe it will blow out, but it’s probably not something that we have any control over,” she said.
“It will be disappointing if we don’t see construction commence on the hospital as it was initially planned for early- to mid-next year.”
Phase one of the upgrade is due to commence in 2026.
