Navigating the labyrinthine car parks of Mackay Base Hospital has been a nightmarish ordeal for patients, visitors, and staff alike. But the days of this hellish game of hunting are now numbered, with the State Government announcing last week that its vision for a revitalised health haven for Mackay has been backed by more than $600M from its budget announcements, which includes plans for a multi-storey car parking building.
The drawback to easier parking access is that it will come at a cost to users, with the facility being government owned and operated. The cost per day isn’t yet confirmed, however Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick indicated it would be more than $10 per day.
“In our most recent public hospitals it’s been a maximum of $13 per day,” the Treasurer said.
Preliminary work and analysis have already begun to ensure that future car parking demand and access needs for staff, patients and visitors to the health facility is met. Treasurer Dick said the first step will be community consultation and the planning will take approximately one year, then once construction begins it will take around two years to complete.
Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert said she had first hand experience navigating Mackay Base Hospital’s car park in search of a space and welcomed the Treasurer’s commitment to easing the issue for staff, patients and visitors of the public health facility.
“There are people who are frail who can’t park down the road like I had to today, they need access to closer parking spaces,” she said.
“I have been advocating for this for many years so it’s exciting to see it happening in health across our district.”
Mackay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Susan Gannon said that the hospital’s staff, patients and visitors will be incredibly happy to know there is an end in sight to the facility’s car parking challenges.
“We know on some days it can be hard to find a park, particularly when we have big specialist outpatient clinics, and that this is frustrating for everyone,” she said.
The car park will boast over 1,000 spaces, with a provision of $75 million allocated in this year's budget for its construction costs.
The eagerly anticipated project seeks to significantly augment the existing capacity and fortify the $256.1 million expansion and enhancement plans for the Mackay Hospital site. With completion scheduled for 2026, the expansion aims to accommodate the growing demand for healthcare services by incorporating 128 new patient beds across specialised paediatric, medical, and surgical wards.
Treasurer Dick said that car parking is the last thing patients and visitors to hospitals should be worried about.
“A new multi-storey car park at the Mackay Base Hospital will make life easier for the local community, while supporting jobs during construction,” he said.
Ms Gilbert added that it’s great to see another investment in the Mackay Base Hospital.
“We have already announced the $256.1 million expansion and improvement to the hospital site, and the new car park will make it easier for the community to use this facility,” she said.
Ms Gannon added that the demand for car parking has steadily increased as the hospital brought on new services, which in turn means they are employing more doctors, nurses and support staff.
“As we provide an increasing amount of care for our community and build an additional 128 beds, this demand will only grow,” she said.
“I acknowledge that construction will create additional parking pressures so the health service will now start to consider mitigation strategies such as off-site parking to minimise this disruption.”
State Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick, MP Charis Mullen and Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert announced funding for a multi-storey car park for Mackay Base Hospital
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