Enough talking: We need to start work on new children’s hospital

THERE are times when it feels we have a greater chance of sending a minister for health into space than successfully completing a new national children’s hospital.

We talk a lot about the wasted opportunities of the boom, but this one ranks top of the list in terms of the conditions that our children continue to be treated in when they need to attend a paediatric hospital.

We managed to build a magnificent national conference centre, a marvellous motorway network, a ridiculous amount of houses — but we failed to build an adequate national facility which our children could use when they are at their most vulnerable.