Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (19:16): (2194) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Health regarding the Albury–Wodonga regional hospital redevelopment, a project that has become a symbol of broken promises and poor planning for regional health in Victoria. This project was announced just weeks before the state election as a $558 million investment in October 2022, funded by Victoria, New South Wales and the Commonwealth, with a promise of consolidating two ageing hospital sites into one modern facility. Yet despite planning dating back to 2011, the reality today for the border community is deeply disappointing. Earlier this year the value management process stripped the project of critical elements to squeeze it into the budget. The helipad was removed, and key facilities are now being built as empty shells awaiting future funding on top of the broken promise of a single hospital. It is a compromised plan that fails to meet the urgent needs of the fast-growing border community.

In the Albury–Wodonga region surgical waitlists are amongst the highest in the state, with over 3500 patients waiting for surgery and extensive wait times due to insufficient beds and lack of capacity causing a backlog. Some patients end up too unwell for surgery, while others are forced to travel long distances for care. This is a direct consequence of underinvestment and a lack of priority for regional health by this government. Victoria’s funding contribution to this project is minimal compared to other regional centres. When the Bendigo Hospital was redeveloped in 2018 for a similar catchment of 300,000 people, the state allocated $630 million. Since then, construction costs have risen dramatically. Over $655 million was allocated to Ballarat Base Hospital for a major rebuild that includes a helipad for a population catchment of 250,000. The redevelopment of Warrnambool Base Hospital by 2027 has been allocated $396 million, yet Albury–Wodonga hospital has been allocated just $225 million by Victoria. It is 320 kilometres from Melbourne and over 550 kilometres from Sydney, yet there is no helipad at the site.

I visited Albury–Wodonga last week to tour the hospital and meet with management and staff. I also met with council representatives and doctors and spoke with residents about their concerns. The frustration in the community is palpable. Patients and medical professionals are angry. There is tension between decision-making groups, and the absence of genuine community consultation shows this government’s strongarm approach. This project is now dependent on future funding just to meet needs that were identified years ago, and concrete pours for the new building will not fix the fundamental problem. This upgrade is going to be incomplete, underscoped and unable to deliver the care the community urgently needs. There are also concerns being raised about the soil being problematic at the site, with some movement and works that need to be done. The ongoing uncertainty in the region’s health care is the cause of significant distress for many residents and health professionals. The action I seek is for the minister to urgently review this project and provide critical investments into health infrastructure, rather than deliver hollow shells that will require years of additional funding to become functional. The community needs access to high-quality, accessible healthcare services that meet the increasing demands of a growing population.