Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (13:03): (2036) My constituency question is for the Minister for Health. The Health and Community Services Union, HACSU, have released damning figures of a toxic culture at Albury Wodonga Health. Forty-nine per cent of HACSU members working in the public mental health system across Wodonga, Wangaratta, Beechworth, Benalla and Albury have personally experienced bullying and harassment. A shocking 76 per cent described the hospital’s executive and senior leadership as the source of the bullying and harassment. Last week the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons also launched an urgent investigation into allegations of a toxic culture by hospital management. This came after a respected breast surgeon was terminated and an anonymous trainee surgeon detailed their experiences in the Border Mail. Despite receiving funding from Victoria and New South Wales as well as serving towns in both states, Albury Wodonga Health operates under the authority of the Victorian Department of Health. What is the minister doing to fix this unacceptable situation?