The start and finish dates for the Albury hospital upgrade have been pushed back.
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The NSW budget, handed down on Tuesday June 18, states construction will now begin in 2025 and be completed in 2030 with spending of $14 million set aside for the project in 2024-25.
When the expansion of the hospital was first announced in October 2022 by then Victorian and NSW premiers, Daniel Andrews and Dominic Perrottet, it was stated that building was expected to start in 2024 and end in 2027.
The deadline for work was extended to 2028 last year before being altered again.
Albury MP Justin Clancy said it was a worry that the expansion would not occur under the original timeframe.
"Obviously it's got to be a real concern that the completion date has been pushed back to 2030," Mr Clancy said.
"Looking through the budget papers it appears all the hospital projects have been put back and I think that reflects the challenges that the government is facing with their budget, so it's not just Albury Wodonga Health.
"Even that's (start date being relegated to 2025) a concern in terms of delays because we know with delays the longer it takes to get in and build, the more that building costs and therefore the risk is the less we're able to achieve with that build."
The upgrade is valued at $538 million by the NSW government in its budget paper, but in February 2024 the project was estimated to cost $621.6 million after a blowout linked to design briefs, building costs, industrial relations changes and market trends.
Albury Wodonga Health has since faced departmental pressure to determine what services it may need to cull as part of the construction.
Mr Clancy said the state budget showed the need for more capital for the project and he says he will continue to argue that point to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park.
He said he met Albury Wodonga Health last week and the list of which services will be part of the new building is yet to be completed.
NSW Greens Upper House MP Amanda Cohn said the budget outlook for the project should prompt a rethink.
"There is no additional funding to make up for the massive cost blow out of the Albury hospital redevelopment," Dr Cohn said.
"This is yet another opportunity for the state government to reconsider its approach to the project and whether a greenfield build would be better value for money."
Benambra MP Bill Tilley said the construction slow down reinforced the need now for portable units with 32 beds that Albury Wodonga Health has been pursuing.
"Our hospital crisis is now and the delay to the project brings into sharper focus the need for a circuit breaker, Albury Wodonga Health did the planning for the portable units two years ago," Mr Tilley said.
"The Victorian government has set a housing target of 550 homes a year the next quarter of a century - where is the health system that will cope with that?
"It's not there at the moment and the likelihood is that by 2030 it still won't be there."
Lobby group Better Border Health representative Michelle Cowan said the delay was not unexpected.
"We're not surprised that the work is not starting (on schedule)," Ms Cowan said.
"We've thoroughly examined the master plan and there's so many gaping holes in that plan; it outlines a complex, complicated build so it's no wonder they're not ready to start.
"What it highlights is this project wouldn't be finished until 2030 but they've only planned out to 2032 for project growth.
"It's really not good enough and quite frankly a waste of money and we're calling on the government to pause this plan.
"We're quite pleased there won't be any sods turned while we're fighting for something better."
Better Border Health and Dr Cohn want a new single-site hospital built for Albury-Wodonga.
