Project update

The Mackay Hospital multi-storey car park and helipad project has reached an exciting stage with the commencement of the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation public consultation.

What is a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID)?

​A Ministerial Infrastructure Designation, or MID, is a process for delivering certain types of infrastructure. It signifies the first stage in the process of delivering this significant piece of infrastructure for our health service.

​The MID process provides an alternative to lodging a development application with local government. The process is managed by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning with input from other government agencies.

​The Planning Minister is responsible for making decisions on MIDs. You can find out more information on how a MID works here.

When is the MID for the multi-storey car park?

​The MID public consultation period runs from 13 June to 14 July 2025. We have already undertaken preliminary engagement with key stakeholders, including council and the local community as part of the initial stages of the MID process, giving them an early opportunity to provide feedback. Only submissions sent to this email address will be considered and summarised for the MID.

Can I have my say during a MID?

​Yes. The MID proposal (MID-0325-0942) containing details of the proposal and an assessment of potential impacts is available online at https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/mid-consultations.

​You can make a submission on or before 14 July 2025 about the proposed designation to the Infrastructure Designation team via:

If you wish to further discuss the MID proposal, please contact the Ministerial Infrastructure Designations team within the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning on 1300 967 433 or at the above email address.

Planning is underway for delivery of a temporary car park, which will enable the decant of car parks from the main hospital campus, for construction of the new multi-storey car park facility.

Why we’re expanding

We’re expanding Mackay Base Hospital to improve patient flow and care. The upgrades include more beds to meet growing demand and bring care closer to home.

These changes will also give our staff better facilities to provide safe, high-quality care.

What we’re building

Early works have started on the hospital expansion site, including clearing land and preparing the site.

The new wing will include:

  • the women’s health unit with birth suites and a maternity ward
  • the special care nursery
  • the child and adolescent unit
  • medical wards
  • the Ronald McDonald family room.

Multi-storey car park and helipad

​The project will increase onsite hospital parking by 572 spaces, improving access and convenience for staff and patients, and supporting the 128-bed hospital expansion.

​The design includes:

  • ​1,145 parking spaces over six levels (ground level plus five) – 960 undercover
  • ​65 motorcycle or scooter parking spaces
  • ​48 bicycle racks
  • ​21 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations - including 2 accessible spaces
  • ​25 ground-level accessible car parks (in addition to EV accessible spaces)
  • ​2 x internal lifts for patrons and 2 x express lifts for the helipad medical teams
  • ​Staff end-of-trip facilities including change rooms, lockers and showers
  • ​Car park office
  • ​Lighting, CCTV and duress points in each level

Mackay Birth Centre

The Mackay Birth Centre was the first-of-its-kind in Queensland. Opened in June 1994, the Birth Centre offers midwife-led continuity of care outside a clinical setting.

A new Birth Centre will be created as part of the Mackay Hospital Expansion Project (MHEP), replacing the original on-site facility with two specialised birth suites in a community setting.

A location is still being finalised, however the new centre will continue the original Mackay Birth Centre’s model of midwifery care, with the new space creating a nurturing environment for low-risk women wanting a natural birth in a home-like environment.

Stakeholder input

We’ve worked with the community to help plan this expansion. Patients and carers gave feedback on layout and travel during the design phase.

We’re also working with First Nations and Australian South Sea Islander peoples to protect cultural heritage.

Jobs

As we grow and finish our expansion, we’ll need more staff members to join our team. We'll have jobs across areas including nursing, medicine, allied health and support services.

You can search our current vacancies or register your interest for future jobs when our hospital expansion opens.

Learn more about careers with us.

Stay updated

We are committed to keeping our near neighbors, community and stakeholders informed of progress and milestones. Regular updates will be provided via our website and social media channels as the expansion progresses.

​For queries, you can contact us via mackaybasehospitalexpansion@health.qld.gov.au.

Last updated: June 2025

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