NT Labor promises a brand new Royal Darwin Hospital if elected in 2028

Northern Territory Labor has committed to building a brand new Royal Darwin Hospital if it wins the 2028 election, and for the first time spelled out where it might go and what it might look like. Shadow Health Minister Chansey Paech said the party isn't waiting for a victory to start. The opposition is already talking to doctors, architects and residents about what a future hospital in Darwin needs, so that on day one of government it can get straight to building.

Paech named two candidate sites: the existing hospital's home in Tiwi, or Defence land flagged for divestment at Berrimah. He favours Berrimah, saying the barracks offers the best shot at a top-tier tertiary hospital — handy to the airport for aerial retrievals and sitting between Palmerston and Darwin. He also expects the new build to look nothing like today's eight-storey tower, telling the ABC that people want something designed for the tropical climate.

The current Royal Darwin Hospital — the Territory's largest and busiest — is creaking. Rolling code yellows, packed wards and stretched staff have become routine. Australian Medical Association NT vice president Dayna Duncan welcomed the pledge, saying the hospital is ageing to the point where it can't be patched up anymore and the Territory needs a brand new one from scratch. She said Berrimah 'certainly has benefits' while the final location is still up for negotiation.

No price tag has been attached, though health officials have previously floated a figure north of $1 billion. Independent economist Saul Eslake said a new hospital would be 'incredibly expensive' for a territory government given its current financial position. The existing hospital opened in 1980, built after Cyclone Tracy from leftover plans for Canberra's identical Woden Hospital.

CLP Health Minister Steve Edgington hit back, questioning Labor's spending record and why it didn't make the promise during its last term. He said the government is 'not ruling in or ruling out' a new hospital, but is planning future health infrastructure across the NT and looking at Royal Darwin's needs. Federal backing is uncertain — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently watered down the prospect, and his government's spokesperson said the NT is responsible for planning, funding and delivering that capital. Paech said federal colleagues gave a 'welcoming reception' to the conversation, and that Labor would 'work through' the option of going it alone.