Politicians Bill Tilley and Amanda Cohn react to Albury hospital plan

The Liberal Party member's stance mirrors that of NSW Greens MP and former Albury deputy mayor Amanda Cohn who wants the hospital project reviewed and a commitment to a greenfields development.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park and his Victorian counterpart Mary-Anne Thomas on Monday, October 16, unveiled a master plan which included labelled images of Albury hospital, a four paragraph summary and nine dot points.

Mr Tilley said it "was not a master plan, it's a colour by numbers".

"Until such time as our community sees a document that provides real detail then we should press "pause", not waste another cent," Mr Tilley said.

"They've spent $2 million on this, let's not waste the other $448 million.

"We don't want pretty pictures, we want enough beds in emergency and we want to get our knee surgery in a reasonable time - not in six years.

"Where is the detail - how many beds are in ICU, will there be extra dialysis chairs, how many floors in the tower, how can a two-level car park handle the growth."

The scant information released contrasts sharply with a December 2021 Albury Wodonga Health master plan that Dr Cohn was able to bring into the public domain through a parliamentary order for the production of documents.

That extends across 83 pages and outlines future needs, such as bed numbers, through until 2040.

It has a map of seven potential sites for a new hospital, including a preferred 197,000 square metre location on former Wodonga railway land between Osburn Street and the Hume Freeway.

A workshop of Albury Wodonga Health and NSW and Victorian health bureaucrats agreed a greenfield site, rather than existing location, was preferred on the basis of delivering patient care.

Dr Cohn said: "The document I obtained through the Parliament clearly shows we were recommended to have a greenfield, single-site hospital.

"I have asked the minister about this in Parliament and in writing and I still don't have a clear answer about why that recommendation wasn't taken on board."

Dr Cohn said the latest document was inadequate, pointing out its cover photo "is clearly an artist's impression by somebody that's never been to Albury".

"Yes we do need more information but we also need a greenfield, single-site hospital," she said.

Mr Tilley has raised his concerns with Ms Thomas during parliamentary sittings in Melbourne this week.

"Someone needs to stump up and tell us, show us, why they went away from the greenfield site that was recommended by independent consultants, in concert with the NSW and Victorian health departments and local medicos to deliver this colour-in book," Mr Tilley said.

"We have another 961 pages of meeting notes that talk about 'select' community engagement, that the operating theatres in Wodonga are not for purpose, that there is asbestos throughout the hospital, that Albury is built on highly reactive clay soil that with some suggestions that some buildings at Albury have moved 60 millimetres."

Ms Thomas rejected Mr Tilley's call, with questions about the master plan directed to NSW.

"We have no intention of pausing this project," Ms Thomas said.

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