THE LABOR Party is calling on the federal Auditor-General to investigate a promised $10 million upgrade of the Wangaratta hospital being withdrawn by the Liberal Party.
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Federal Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King has written to Auditor-General Grant Hehir asking him to examine Liberal Indi candidate Sophie Mirabella's claim that $10 million would have gone to the hospital if she, rather than independent Cathy McGowan, had been elected in 2013.
“Punishing the people of Indi for electing an independent MP is not legitimate grounds on which to base decisions about the expenditure of a significant sum of taxpayer money,” Ms King wrote.
“I ask you to investigate this troubling matter and report your findings to the Parliament at your earliest convenience.”
Treasurer Scott Morrison refused to answer if Indi’s hospital funding will continue to be dependent on Sophie Mirabella being elected, following the candidate’s revelation on live television.
“I had a commitment for a $10 million allocation to the Wangaratta hospital that, if elected, I was going to announce the week after the election,” Mrs Mirabella said on Thursday night’s Sky News broadcast from Wangaratta.
“That’s $10m that Wangaratta hasn’t got because Cathy (McGowan) got elected.”
Ms McGowan could be seen mimicking a violin as her opponent spoke.
The Coalition backtracked from its commitment on Friday when Mr Morrison visited Wodonga.
“There was no public commitment to that hospital funding,” he said.
“That’s not something the government would have proceeded with on the basis that there was no public commitment.”
Mr Morrison blamed the outcry over Mrs Mirabella’s comments on the Labor party and others “playing politics” ahead of the 2016 election.
Mrs Mirabella defended her decision to not go to the polls with a funding promise, saying it was a “personal” commitment, not a government one, to advocate for the hospital..
“It was decided locally it’s such an important issue not to fall into the pork-barreling arguments, but for me to wait until after the election,” she said.
“I lost the election, I left it to the new member to carry on the campaign.”
Ms McGowan said she had campaigned for Wangaratta hospital and demanded answers to why the commitment was terminated and if the $10 million could be publicly committed in 2016.
“The Wangaratta hospital cares for real people with real health issues and these renovations are desperately needed," she said.
