NT Labor pledges new Darwin hospital, with Berrimah among possible sites
Federal funding remains uncommitted as the opposition considers Defence land in Berrimah or the existing Tiwi site for a replacement hospital.
NT Labor has pledged to replace Royal Darwin Hospital should it win government at the 2028 territory election, identifying two potential locations but acknowledging it has no firm Commonwealth funding commitment.
Shadow Health Minister Chansey Paech said the party was considering Defence land marked for divestment in Berrimah as well as the hospital’s existing Tiwi site. He favoured Berrimah because of its proximity to the airport for aerial retrievals and its position between Darwin and Palmerston.
Paech said Labor had begun consulting medical professionals, architects and residents about the hospital’s design. He said feedback favoured a building suited to the tropical climate rather than a multi-storey tower.
The Australian Medical Association NT welcomed the pledge. Its vice president, Dayna Duncan, said the ageing hospital could no longer be adequately patched up and needed replacing. She said Berrimah offered benefits, although the location remained open to negotiation.
Labor has not given a precise price. Health officials have previously suggested a replacement would likely cost more than A$1 billion. The current eight-storey hospital opened in 1980.
Health Minister Steve Edgington questioned why Labor had not made the commitment during its previous term. He said the CLP government had neither excluded nor committed to a replacement and was planning health infrastructure across the NT.
A federal government spokesperson said responsibility for planning, funding and delivering a new hospital rested with the NT government. Any Commonwealth contribution would need consideration within existing funding arrangements. Paech said Labor would examine the possibility of proceeding without federal support.
