Mayor's Message 28 February, 2025

In just five days, I will join fellow Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Councillors, medical professionals, and community members from both sides of the border on the steps of Victorian Parliament.

Together, we will present a united front, speaking on behalf of the 300,000 residents within the Albury-Wodonga hospital catchment, with one clear message - we deserve better than the sub-optimal plan to redevelop the existing Albury Hospital.

The facts couldn’t be clearer. Albury Wodonga Health's 2021 Clinical Services Plan projects that by 2040, our region's population will increase by 33%, placing enormous demands on our healthcare system:

  • Emergency presentations will increase by 52% (up to 150,000)
  • Total admissions will increase by 51% (up to 80,000)
  • Surgeries will increase by 66% (about 40,000)
  • Paediatric admissions will increase by 71% (5,700)

The proposed redevelopment simply will not meet these growing needs, which is why we need a new hospital on a new site.

It has been over two years since the NSW and Victorian State Governments announced joint funding to redevelop the Albury hospital. That's two years of questioning the business case, raising community concerns, and experiencing a lack of meaningful engagement from state governments.

Just this week, after more than six months of waiting, we finally received a response from the Victorian Health Minister to the letter sent by Indigo, Alpine, and Towong Councils following our historic tri-council meeting in Beechworth last August. The timing, less than a week before our planned rally at Parliament, speaks volumes.

The Minister's response was dismissive of our concerns and failed to address any of the substantive issues we raised. Instead, it offered more rhetoric to justify the redevelopment plan that we know is inadequate for our community's needs.

We are fighting for the future of healthcare for our entire region. We want to ensure that our children and grandchildren have access to the quality healthcare they deserve.

Next Wednesday is about standing together as a community and demanding better. Let's show our state governments that we are united in our call for a new hospital on a new site that will truly serve the needs of our growing community.

If you want to know more about travel arrangements, visit the Better Border Health Facebook Page.

Regards

Cr Sophie Price

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