The Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF), valued at $790 million overall, provides vital government funding to rural and regional health services and agencies across Victoria. This ensures these services can continue to provide safe and efficient care to local communities.
Established in 2016, the fund is the largest program of its type in Victoria and was created to improve:
The new hospital tower demolition site.
Concrete slabs being poured.
Three tower cranes on the redevelopment site have been named after Ballarat locals – Josie Ashmore, Wasek Faisal, and brothers Ashton Kline and Grant Monks – in honour of their contributions to healthcare and the local community.
The names ‘Josie’, ‘Wasek’ and ‘Ashton and Grant’ will be high in Ballarat’s skyline on the tower cranes building the new hospital tower.
The naming of these three cranes follows on from the Stage 2 crane named after volunteer Maureen Woodford.
Josie began her 35-year nursing career at Grampians Health in 1969 (then known as Ballarat Health Service). Following major abdominal surgery ten years ago, she started handmaking fabric bags for visible draining tubes after she saw how they gave patients a sense of dignity and comfort post-surgery. Since then, Josie has made over 2,000 fabric bags for patients.
Wasek is a medical oncologist and oncology research lead for Grampians Health. He is a leading figure in lung cancer clinical research and patient care. He is passionate about driving cutting-edge cancer research and treatment in regional areas and delivering care closer to home. Wasek’s team has been at the forefront of clinical trials at Grampians Health.
Siblings Ashton and Grant share a story of unimaginable hardship and extraordinary resilience, courage and compassion. As children, their mother's life was tragically taken by their violent father.
Grant has faced a lifelong battle with kidney disease and multiple failed transplants. He channels his experiences into advocacy, raising awareness and support for others with chronic illness. He is now an undergraduate clinical placement coordinator and nurse for Grampians Health.
Ashton, who once administered daily dialysis to Grant as a teen, has gone on to care for others through his career, and through his advocacy for victims of family violence. Ashton now works as a switchboard operator for Grampians Health, and is a Kidney Health Australia ambassador.
Learn more and watch the videos about Josie, Wasek, Ashton and Grant.
Welcome to our first Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment project newsletter!
Your bigger, better Ballarat Base Hospital is in its final stage of construction. In this stage, we’re building a new hospital tower with seven levels. The tower will include a new main entrance, emergency department, women and children’s hub, operating theatre suite, helipad and an extra 100 beds. Construction of the tower is on track for completion in 2027.
We’ve already delivered a new Central Energy Plant and Support Services (CEPSS) building on Drummond Street and expanded the multi-deck carpark off Mair Street.
In this issue, you can learn about:
Welcome to our winter 2025 Frankston Hospital redevelopment project newsletter!
In this issue, you can learn about:
The new, structurally complete helipad on the top of the clinical services tower
Hastings Road traffic lights are up and running
Frankston Hospital redevelopment’s first tower crane arrived on site in March 2023, and after two years of construction, the construction site is now crane-free.
At the peak of construction, there were four operational tower cranes. All four cranes were fully electric, running solely on renewable energy.
Construction on the new tower in October 2024
Construction on the new tower in May 2025
Peninsula Health has announced a new name for Frankston Hospital, which will come into effect when the redeveloped hospital opens to patients.
The new name 'Peninsula University Hospital' reflects the hospital’s commitment to world leading health research and training, particularly through its collaboration with Monash University.
For more information, visit the Peninsula Health website.
Artist impression of the new clinical services tower
The new helipad is now structurally complete and being prepared for commissioning. It will be operated by Air Ambulance Victoria, helping to transfer critically ill patients to and from the hospital.
The helipad is made from high strength aluminium and includes integrated lights and firefighting systems. Some parts were pre-assembled on the ground and lifted into place by crane.
Lendlease partnered with Wallara Logistics, a local social enterprise which provides employment opportunities for people with a disability, to help store and deliver materials to the site.
Peninsula Health and Air Ambulance Victoria will work together to finalise important safety and operating protocols. The helipad will become operational when the new clinical services tower is opened.
The new hospital tower from above showcasing the structurally complete helipad
The external façade of the new clinical services tower is now complete.
The striking facade reflects the natural beauty of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.
More than 4,000 glass, terracotta, and porcelain panels, each weighing between 250 to 1,000 kilograms have been carefully craned into place.
The façade’s design will allow for sunlight to flood into patient rooms.
The new tower's completed external façade
Four Australian artists have been selected to create artworks for the Frankston Hospital redevelopment. Under the theme ‘Healing Country, Healing People,' their pieces will reflect the strong connection between land, culture, and wellbeing.
Richard Briggs will design a large-scale line drawing titled ‘Flourishing Forest’. His drawing will capture the strength of Port Phillip Bay kelp forests. Kelp forests hold entire marine communities together, from the smallest snail to the largest whale.
Dan Elborne is a visual artist. Elborne will create ‘The Pillar’, a 3.6-metre-high sculpture standing at the main entrance made from locally sourced sandstone. It will include unique, handmade clay pieces shaped by members of the community. ‘The Pillar’ represents a deep connection to community and Boonwurrung/Bunurong land.
Jody Rallah is a multidisciplinary Yuggera-Yugggerabul/Biri-Bindal artist. She will create original metallic inlays. The ‘Yarning Circle’ will draw inspiration from the life cycle and of short-finned eels (daaagan/ilk). It will also showcase the coastal banksia of Kananook Creek. This journey teaches us about resilience in the face of any obstacle.
Hannah Quinlivan works with a variety of mediums. She will design a mural and sculpture inspired by the creeks and riverbeds of the Carrum Carrum wetlands. The ‘Whispers of the Wetland’ mural invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between healing body and Country.
The Frankston Hospital redevelopment artwork selection committee includes people from Peninsula Health, the Victorian Health Building Authority, the Office of the Government Architect, Exemplar Health, and Bates Smart. Local Traditional Custodians were also consulted during the selection process.
Community members are invited to drop into an information session this August to learn more about the new Barwon Women’s and Children’s.
These sessions are free, and no registration is required.
