Albury and Wodonga mayors have reacted with dismay to news that the planned redevelopment of Albury hospital will not finish until at least 2030.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The delay to the completion of the hospital upgrade, from a previous end date of 2028, was flagged in the NSW budget unveiled on Tuesday, June 18.
Albury mayor Kylie King said the longer timeline warranted an explanation, noting her council resolved in March to seek extra funding to complete the project by 2027 as first planned.
"(The) NSW budget provides no additional funding, which is disappointing but not unexpected, but indicates that project completion will not occur until 2030, which is obviously a concern and well beyond what was initially announced and expected by our community," Cr King said.
"We will be seeking further information from the NSW government and Albury Wodonga Health in relation to the extended completion timeframe, and the impact this may have on health service delivery, as well as the estimates for points of care to meet future service demand that have informed the master plan to date."
NSW Health Infrastructure failed to answer Border Mail questions about why the start date for construction had shifted from 2024 to 2025 and the finish line was in 2030 now.
However, a spokesperson did say "it is anticipated that early works will commence in the 2024-25 financial year, subject to the statutory approval processes".
It is understood they may involve works covering areas such as utilities rather than concrete construction of the planned clinical services building.
Wodonga mayor Ron Mildren said the delay to the project reinforced his council's concerns about the upgrade, which it believes should be scrapped in favour of building a new hospital due to issues such as space, traffic and building disruption.
"The overwhelming evidence is mounting even greater that the project that is being looked at, and we don't know what exactly we are going to get, is not a sustainable outcome and we've got to look at rethinking this whole project," Cr Mildren said.
"The fact it's been pushed down the road for another year is evidence that others are seeing the same issues that we have too."
Farrer MP Sussan Ley cited other issues beyond the end date as crucial.
"Yes, it's frustrating but the ultimate goal for Albury-Wodonga is not the timeframe, it's the outcome," Ms Ley said.
"A quality, properly funded health service must be the starting point and a non-negotiable for our region.
"That means working together, in a united effort, arguing for both the facilities and a workforce we can rely on for years to come."
Health Infrastructure confirmed $11.667 million has already been spent on the project and indicated what the next instalment would fund.
"The NSW budget allocation of $14 million for the Albury Wodonga hospital project for the 2024-25 financial year will support ongoing planning activities including the development of the concept design for the project which is under way," the spokesperson said.
No date has been provided for the disclosure of the concept design, which Cr King is keen to see.
"We look forward to the upcoming release of the concept design of the new hospital and the opportunity for all of us to better understand its size and scale and the relationships between the clinical functions, services, buildings and other facilities to be delivered as part of the project - as promoted by NSW Health Infrastructure in the May 2024 project update," Cr King said.
