Border MP Sussan Ley seeks info from Victoria to draw federal interest for Albury-Wodonga hospital

The former federal health minister says if her request was successful it would allow the federal government to assess how it could aid a new Albury-Wodonga hospital.

"I've noted a number of people calling on the Commonwealth to help fund a new hospital," Ms Ley said.

"We can't put money into something we cannot see, particularly when it is the states which will need to approach us for a contribution."

Ms Ley's request has gone to the Victorian Department of Health and it follows that state's Health Minister Martin Foley failing to commit to make the document public.

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"Quite frankly, this process has reached a point of absurdity, and there is absolutely no reasonable excuse for Victoria to stall on this any longer," Ms Ley said.

"The master plan was completed in November last year, and outlines the path forward for a single campus, a location and the cost.

"Our own Border Medical Association wrote to both the Victorian and NSW Health Ministers in early February calling for them to end this impasse; a letter which has been ignored, with neither a reply or even an acknowledgement."

Ms Ley said the plan had to be approved to allow Albury Wodonga Health to begin "seeking funding sources from governments and possibly interest from the private sector".

"A new hospital for Albury-Wodonga is needed now. It also needs to move beyond politics, cross border parochialism and election cycles," Ms Ley said.

"If Victoria are not interested in building it, then they should get out of the cross border health agreement and let people who care about our region's health system get on with it."

Meanwhile, Ms Ley told ABC radio yesterday that Prime Minister Scott Morrison intervened to stop her being challenged for the Liberal Party candidacy for the election after a "large number of people" joined Farrer party branches with "probably an agenda to unseat me".

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