'Very troubled project': Hospital cost blowout concerns treasurer
The South Australian Treasurer has expressed significant concerns regarding the escalating costs of the new Women's and Children's Hospital project. Despite the project's last estimated cost of $3.2 billion in 2022, inflation and construction pressures have raised fears of a budget blowout. The state government anticipates net debt to exceed $53 billion by 2029-30, but the Treasurer remains hopeful that debt will decrease once major projects are completed.
- ▪The Treasurer is worried about the budget for the Women's and Children's Hospital, which has not been updated since 2022.
- ▪Projected state net debt is expected to rise to over $53 billion by 2029-30 due to infrastructure spending.
- ▪The Treasurer described the hospital project as 'a very troubled project' and acknowledged the complexities involved in hospital construction.
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Treasurer worried about hospital cost blowout amid projected record debtBy state political reporter Kathryn BerminghamStatelineTopic:BudgetSat 6 Jun 2026 at 7:27amSat 6 Jun 2026 at 7:27amSat 6 Jun 2026 at 7:27amTom Koutsantonis says there are contingencies in place for all new government builds. (ABC News: Trent Murphy)In short:The SA treasurer says he is "very worried" about escalating costs for the new Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, but will not reveal an updated price tag for the project.The state government handed down the 2026–27 budget on Thursday, which revealed net debt is expected to blow out to more than $50 billion in 2029–30.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).