Wagga Hospital’s multi-storey car park will add 800 car spaces and it will be free to use. 

The mayor, councillor John Ryan and councillor Stephen Lawrence, who is also the state Labor candidate, say the National Party are “playing politics” with the car parking issue in a bid to boost the electoral fortunes of its candidate, Dugald Saunders.

“Everyone knows the Dubbo hospital has not got enough parking, why should Wagga get a big multi-storey car park and Dubbo be left with inadequate parking?”, mayor Ben Shields said.

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“The state government has committed $30 million to build a multi-storey car park for Wagga hospital, what about Dubbo?  It is about time the Nats committed to doing this in Dubbo just like the Libs have committed to doing it in Wagga.”

Cr John Ryan said if the Nationals won’t build a multi-storey carpark at Dubbo Hospital, they should rule it out now. 

“If they’re saving up a promise for a multi-storey car park at Dubbo, they should come clean now instead of running around with a fake petition calling for a carpark they maintain they won’t build, that would be a cynical way of treating an issue that’s vitally important to all who use Dubbo Hospital,” he said.

“Current Nats MP Troy Grant claimed that a multi-story carpark could be built cheaper than a simple flat land pad in the park at the front of the hospital. 

“I’d be very keen to see the plans and figures he’s basing that claim on.”

Dubbo Labor candidate Stephen Lawrence believes the Nationals are playing a political game.

“Soon they will make a funding announcement so they can make out the petition has been successful,” he said.

“What a terrible political game to play with health services. They should just focus on governing".

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But, Member for Dubbo Troy Grant slammed suggestions of political opportunism.

“No political games are being played here,” he said.

“The Nationals candidate Dugald Saunders is doing the honourable thing by running a petition seeking community support for additional parking at Dubbo Hospital, not chasing cheap headlines without substance like Country Labor and their candidate,” he said.