Hundreds rally outside Parliament House for a new hospital for Albury Wodonga
‘Do it once and do it right.’
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It was the catchcry of hundreds of people who travelled from Victoria’s north east to rally on the steps of Parliament House last week.
Politicians, mayors, councillors, doctors, health professionals, residents and business owners made the journey to lobby state and federal governments for critical funding for Albury Wodonga Health.
The words of 2024 Federation Shire Citizen of the Year, Leo Anic summed up the feeling of the people from across 14 shires.
“We need greater community understanding of the critical juncture we are at … if we don’t make the right decision now, we risk being stuck with an inadequate solution for decades to come,” Mr Anic said.
Wodonga mayor, Michael Gobel told the crowd they represented 300,000 people, including 68 people who died in 2022/23 waiting for surgery, and 3,655 people on waiting lists for elected surgery, the highest number in any region.
“The average waiting time to have Category 2 surgery is 432 days,” Cr Gobel said.
“People choose to die rather than travel one to four hours for dialysis because of lack of capacity at Albury Wodonga Health.
“We represent the residents of Indigo and Towong who have the worst ambulance waiting times in the state…and people who are being treated in the back of ambulances, waiting three to six hours because of ramping at an inadequate hospital.”
After the rally, Benambra MP Bill Tilley invited representatives into the chamber for Question Time.
Mr Tilley asked Health Minister, Ingrid Stitt about inadequate funding for Albury Wodonga Health and when her response was deemed unsatisfactory, the gallery erupted.
In an unprecedented move, both galleries were thrown out of Parliament.
“Not only did we create history by marching on Spring St, we created history when elected members of local government were tossed out of the gallery,” Albury mayor Kevin Mack said.
“We then met with the Opposition and came to the common agreement that this was an issue for both State and Federal Governments and we need to keep fighting the battle.”
Cr David Harrison, John Crothers from Regional Business Council and former councillor Sally Huges outside Parliament House
A fully funded, $1.5 billion Greenfield site is central to the push along with immediate investment into regional hospitals, like Corowa, to alleviate pressure on Albury.
“A new Greenfield site must be the centrepiece of that solution,” former Federation councillor, Sally Hughes said.
“It’s critical that our community stands up right now and unites with the 14 neighbouring communities to lobby the Victorian, New South Wales, and the Federal Governments to invest in a long-term sustainable health solution.”
Federation councillor David Harrison emphasized the critical need for a strategic regional approach in healthcare planning as 300,000 people relied on the services.
“It is imperative to consider regional hospitals in both the short and long-term vision for Albury Wodonga Health,” Cr Harrison said.
“Hospitals like Corowa need investment now to take immediate pressure off Albury and build capacity for the future.”
With pressure mounting on State and Federal governments, the delegation has vowed to continue lobbying.
Despite the numbers at the Spring St rally, executive officer of the Regional Business Chamber, John Crothers said he was disappointed by the lack of urgency from the local business community.
“There has been a concerning level of business apathy around the Greenfield site decision and critical investment required for Corowa Hospital,” Mr Crothers said.
“This is not just a health issue; it directly impacts economic growth and the long-term liveability of our region for the next 30 plus years.
“We’ll be working together to build on the momentum and ensure we activate this situation before it is too late.”
For more information go to the Better Border Health website or follow them on Facebook.
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