GLNG Project Delivers Direct Benefits to Gladstone Community (Australia)

Gladstone’s health and housing services will receive a major funding injection following the recent announcement that the GLNG project has been given final approval by its partners.

GLNG Operations Pty Ltd on behalf of the GLNG Joint Venture Partners Santos, PETRONAS, Total and KOGAS announced a contribution of $2.05 million for support for Gladstone’s health infrastructure and services and rental and crisis housing accommodation services.

Gladstone hospital will receive $1 million funding for a $700,000 upgrade of the Gladstone Hospital’s High Dependency Unit (HDU) and $300,000 to establish a Medical Education Unit to train junior medical staff in Gladstone.

GLNG also committed $250,000 to the combined Rotary Clubs of Gladstone for the purchase and operation of a mini bus to transport outpatients who are undertaking medical services including oncology treatment, kidney dialysis and other serious medical treatments that require them to travel from Gladstone to Rockhampton.

Gladstone Regional Council will also receive a significant boost with up to $800,000 funding for the Council’s Community Advisory Service to support housing programs for the vulnerable members of the Gladstone Community.

GLNG Operations Pty Ltd’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Macfarlane said this funding for the community was an example of the benefits the project would deliver to Gladstone.

“We are pleased to deliver some immediate results for the Gladstone community to support critical social infrastructure and services. We understand that the community needs to be supported to accommodate projects such as GLNG, which will deliver important economic benefits to the region,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Our immediate commitments to funding for health and housing initiatives were decided after a thorough social impact assessment which included extensive community consultation,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Nothing is more integral to the success of a community than health and housing services, and GLNG is very proud to be able to make this investment in a community that has already given us so much valuable support.” Mayor of Gladstone Regional Council Gail Sellers said: “GLNG has listened to the community and has addressed the major concerns of Health and Housing. Gladstone Regional Council has been in constant dialogue with GLNG and the $800,000 will help alleviate the significant increase in demand for rental and crisis housing. An extra staff member will be employed at our Community Advisory Service to work in the Crisis Housing area.”

The HDU is a 4-bed unit established in 1982 to provide services to patients with increased needs during their hospital stay.

The $700,000 refurbishment will deliver four new beds and upgrade vital equipment such as heart rate monitors and oxygen tanks.

The $300,000 for the Medical Education Unit will enable a training program to be established to train junior medical staff at Gladstone Hospital.

The impact of this will be more doctors for Gladstone with the first intern under the program starting at the beginning of next year.

Matt Burnett, Chair of the Gladstone Health Community Council and Deputy Mayor of Gladstone Regional Council said the Gladstone Health Community Council (HCC) met with Santos/GLNG during the EIS stage of the project.

“This announcement by GLNG shows the company took on board our concerns and has now delivered on a promise made at that time to work with the HCC to ensure our health services are prepared for the influx of people the LNG industry will bring,” Cr Burnett said.

The $250,000 investment for the acute medical conditions bus service to the Combined Rotary Clubs of Gladstone will include an initial contribution of $130,000 to purchase a mini bus with wheelchair access, and a further $120,000 over two years to fund ongoing operation of the bus.

This service will be delivered in conjunction with the Gladstone Central Committee on the Ageing, who will provide housing for the bus, and the day to day administration of the facility at the Senior Citizens Centre, Port Curtis Place.

Rotary’s Assistant Governor Len Woodman, said there had been “a long standing need to provide a practical means of taking pressure off patients and their families obliged to travel to Rockhampton for specialist treatment”.

“Rotary is proud of its service history, and GLNG’s generosity in providing for the medical bus, will enable Rotarians to serve the community even more in the coming years.”

The funding announced by GLNG Operations Pty Ltd today is just the first step in demonstrating GLNG’s commitment to the Gladstone region in what will be an ongoing program of community and infrastructure investments over the next few years.

“This will include major spending on roads, social infrastructure and environmental mitigation, leaving a positive legacy for Gladstone and other regional communities,” Mr Macfarlane said.

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Source: GLNG, January 28, 2011;