Community having their say on the next ‘people’s hospital’ for Footscray

Text: New Footscray Hospital Project Community Consultative Committee

Images: Opening slide – a view from the banks of the Maribyrnong River looking east over the river to the city skyscrapers. There are palm trees on the river and shipyard containers on the other side. The next slide shows two flags flying, followed by a slide of some colourful graffiti that says ‘Footscray’ on a fence in a nearby lane, then a shot of the Footscray Community Arts Centre signage.

Text: Katie Hall MP, Member for Footscray

Voiceover: Today we have the Footscray community consultative committee meeting where we'll be discussing the new Footscray Hospital project.

Images: Katie Hall MP is standing in front of the river, talking to camera. We then see the committee gathering inside the Arts Centre for their first meeting.

Voiceover: It's really exciting to be the chair of the community consultative committee because this is such a big project for Footscray we want to make sure that community voices are heard

Images: Katie Hall is talking to camera whilst standing in front of the river, then the camera moves to inside the Arts Centre and we see the then Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos speaking, as well as activities that the committee members are participating in

Text: Elwyn Davies, community representative

Voiceover: I've lived in the area for about thirty years now. For me being part of committee is a is a great honour. It's really about us taking ideas of our own and the community forward, but also responsible for dispersing that information into the community as well.

Images: Elwyn Davies in standing by the river, talking to camera. We then see him participating in group activities as the committee discuss what’s important to them in a new hospital.

Text: Sarah Coward, community representative

Voiceover: We're really keen that the unique elements of Footscray are represented in our ideas and thoughts, to go through them to the architects who are designing our new Footscray Hospital.

Images: Sarah Coward is standing by the river, talking to camera. We then see her participating in committee group activities and conversation.

Voiceover: We want a hospital that's going to represent the community it's in and serve Footscray.

Images: Katie Hall MP is standing in front of the river, talking to camera, then shown participating with the committee in various activities.

Voiceovers

(Elwyn): Footscray is a very unique area.

(Sarah): Wonderful people with lots of energy, lots of diversity and lots of different ideas.

(Katie): It's a creative place, it's an ever-changing place, it's very difficult to be bored in Footscray.

Images: Various close-up shots of committee members participating in their first consultative committee meeting.

Voiceovers

(Elwyn): The amount of investment that's been put into this major project is very significant.

(Sarah): How do you pull it all together in a way that makes it happen for all the elements of this community. How we're going to do that? That's the challenge.

Images: Various close-up shots of committee members participating in their first consultative committee meeting, including the then Minister for Health (Jenny Mikakos) and Western Health CEO Russell Harrison.

Voiceover

(Katie): I think the new Footscray Hospital project is huge for this community. It will make a massive difference for the provision of health care in Melbourne's growing western suburbs. I'm very proud to be representing an area where we are having the largest investment in a hospital in Victorian history happening.

Images: Katie is variously standing beside the river talking to camera, or shown in action speaking to members of the consultative committee.

Text: A slide that says ‘in partnership with’ and the Western Health logo.

Images: The closing slide is the Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority logo, the web address vhhsba.vic.gov.au and the Victoria State Government logo.

End of transcript

Giving the community a say

The Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority (VHHSBA) is committed to giving the community a say, with local input critical to the delivery of the flagship $1.5 billion project. Following community consultation and engagement sessions earlier this year, the committee is building and expanding on the insights already captured.

By understanding the ideas, priorities, questions and concerns held by the community, VHHSBA has the best opportunity to deliver a new hospital that truly reflects the community it serves.

Learn more about the new Footscray Hospital Project via our dedicated project page.