Wodonga Council told to chase Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas

Mary-Anne Thomas has failed to respond to correspondence from the council, in November and February, seeking answers over plans for hospital services in Albury-Wodonga.

Wodonga Council supports an entirely new Border public hospital rather than an upgrade to Albury hospital announced last October.

The city's advocacy efforts will be on the agenda of the meeting set down for Monday June 19, 2023 with a seven-point recommendation set out.

It includes making "another formal request to the Victorian Minister for Health, for a meeting to seek clarification on key outstanding issues as identified in the correspondence previously sent to the minister".

The agenda also includes an abridged report of a council-organised workshop, run by consultants The Civic Partnership on April 26, 2023, with recommendations listed.

Council is being advised it should have two community leaders, who were at the workshop, accompany mayor Ron Mildren and chief executive Matthew Hyde to a meeting with Ms Thomas if she consented to such a gathering.

Backing is also sought from the council to continue freedom of information requests to access documents related to the redevelopment of Albury hospital if they are not released automatically.

If the freedom of information bid fails, the council is being urged to join interested groups in commissioning a report on future health and hospital needs for the Border.

Such an analysis could then be used to demonstrate the need for a greenfields hospital.

Council is also being asked on Monday night to support the development of an "advocacy plan brand and positioning".

That would involve a campaign with the broader Border public.

The Civic Partnership report states research is needed to determine future health and hospital needs and "only once the services needed have been quantified should focus turn to identifying the site on which the hospital should be built".

Council staff note a "desktop analysis across Wodonga identified several large tracts of land that could be a potential greenfield site ... one state-owned and the other private land both with direct access onto Bandiana Link on the Hume Highway".

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: