Albury Hospital is no longer fit for purpose, health advocates claim. Photo: Vanessa Hayden.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected a push for federal government funding to build a new mega-hospital on the NSW-Victoria border during a visit to Albury this week.
Surrounding councils and health advocates have been pushing for a new single-site Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital to be built, arguing current plans for a redevelopment of the existing Albury hospital will not deliver enough beds, services or space to meet the demands of a growing population in the wider area.
But the new site proposal has not been able to get off the ground due a lack of support from the Federal Government. At a press conference, Mr Albanese was asked if he’d reconsider.
“The states and territories build hospitals and are responsible for the hospital network,” he said.
“What we’re responsible for is providing some investment for them. We’re providing $25 billion for, of additional funding, as well as – this is federal funding, all federal funding that we’re providing in primary health care. We have a federated system here in Australia. We’re providing that support as well as, of course, providing additional investment in other areas for state and territory governments, including the public schools funding.”
Anthony Albanese at a pub in Albury. Photo: Anthony Albanese Facebook.
Wodonga-based federal MP for Indi Helen Haines has challenged the claims that hospital funding isn’t a federal concern.
“The Federal Government has a clear role in funding health infrastructure because — you know what — they already do it,” she has told parliament.
“The problem is that it’s often not transparent, competitive or needs-based spending of taxpayer dollars. In the last election, both major parties were guilty of pork-barrelling promises for health and hospital infrastructure. Both major parties promised $200 million for a hospital in the seat of Hasluck. They promised $120 million for a Rouse Hill hospital on the border of the electorates of Greenway and Mitchell. And $150 million was promised to Flinders medical centre, which is on top of Labor’s 2022 election commitment of $200 million at the same hospital in the seat of Hindmarsh. Labor promised $80 million to Fairfield hospital bordering the electorates of Fairfield and McMahon.”
Independent candidate for Farrer Michelle Milthorpe and Greens Albury MP Amanda Cohn have echoed these sentiments, also saying that the Federal Government is prepared to intervene in state issues when it suits them.
Mr Albanese said his government was servicing the health needs of regional communities by funding the establishment of urgent care clinics, which provide bulk-billed, after-hours, non-emergency medical treatment. He attended a clinic that recently opened at 425 David Street in Albury.
“We promised 50, but they were such a success that we kept going, because they’re in such demand. So, this clinic here, there’s one in Shepparton, one in Wagga Wagga … this is taking pressure off our public hospital network, because instead of going to an emergency department to deal with an issue, if there’s a break or a cut or sports injury, or your child falls off a bike or skateboard, you can come here, get the care that you need when you need it, and all you need is, of course, your Medicare card. This little green and gold piece of plastic says a lot about Australian values.”
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.
