Homebush Bay. Hospital company collapses

Owen Ferguson Health, the company that ran Canada Bay Private Hospital, has collapsed less than a week after the state government expressed confidence in working with it on a $51 million hospital at Homebush Bay. ANZ Bank has appointed the receivers Ferrier Hodgson to take over three of the group's hospitals, in Lismore, Mackay and Melbourne. The same day the directors, Kerry Ferguson and Daniel Owen, called in voluntary administrators, who will take control of the closed Canada Bay hospital. A spokesman for the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, which confirmed last week it would continue to deal with the pair, said the state government would now ''monitor the situation'' and assess its legal options.

Homebush Bay. 'Push ahead' with hospital

The state government will push ahead with a deal to open a $51 million hospital at Homebush Bay, despite claims yesterday that its prospective tenants, Kerry Ferguson and Daniel Owen, had been issued with eviction notices for not paying rent at Canada Bay, Lismore and Mackay private hospitals and it owed staff superannuation entitlements dating back more than a year. The Sydney Olympic Park Authority said it would continue to deal with Ms Ferguson and Mr Owen, who won the bid to build a 94-bed orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital at Olympic Park, because they had not breached their contractual obligations ''at this time''.