2 weeks Ago By Anthony Bunn
Sussan Ley says she opposes pausing the upgrade of Albury hospital and says it is not realistic to expect a substantial federal investment in a new Border medical campus. or signup to continue reading The Farrer MP and deputy federal Liberal Party leader was speaking after Albury's mayor Kevin Mack accused her of dithering on supporting a greenfield or brownfield hospital development. Ms Ley's comments also followed Cr Mack and Wodonga mayor Michael Gobel meeting federal Health Minister Mark Butler and at separate times in Canberra and Sydney.
"I do not agree with pausing the existing plan, which would allow both states to send this project off into the never never," Ms Ley said. "Ministers Butler and Park met with our people and made some soothing noises, but they need to be honest with our community. "The Commonwealth cannot - and will not - spend somewhere near $1 billion, well over 60 per cent of a new build, just because Victoria and NSW refuse to.
"That is not realistic." Cr Mack and Cr Gobel were heartened by Mr Butler's attitude towards a federal role with an Albury-Wodonga hospital. "Interestingly he didn't push back on this narrative that we often get that feds don't fund bricks and mortar hospitals," Cr Gobel said.
"There was an appreciation that there are lots of precedents for that, whether that's Flinders hospital in Adelaide for $200 million or Shellharbour for $120 million. "He genuinely wanted to give consideration to how he could work with the two state health ministers to unlock this impasse." Indi MP Helen Haines, who also attended the meeting with Mr Butler, said the mayors had put a compelling case that Albury Wodonga Health was not like any other because it straddled a state border.
But Ms Ley said: "The Commonwealth government is providing over $18 billion to NSW and Victoria in hospital funding, more than enough for them to properly fund operations and facilities in Albury-Wodonga." She said the Victorian government administration of Albury Wodonga Health was the biggest impediment to a "first-class health system on the Border". "I have suggested a number of options to move forward which have been rejected by the states, including a , re-establishing health as a priority through a Regional Deal and a position not supported by Better Border Health," Ms Ley said.
Cr Mack said Ms Ley had "waxed and waned" on the fate of a Border hospital. "At one point she's supporting a greenfields site and only last week she's on the radio, saying 'aw, we should move forward with what we've got'," Cr Mack said. "Sussan Ley, what are we doing and where are we up to? "We need to get a commitment from herself as we have from Helen Haines for a single-site greenfield hospital, so that we can make the best efforts, because if we don't that is a failure, not for us, but for our community.
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