Federal Labor figure talks on new Albury-Wodonga hospital as candidate queries cross border health model

Deborah O'Neill was commenting during a visit to the New Albury Hotel on Tuesday to launch the campaign of Labor candidate for Farrer Darren Cameron.

Asked by The Border Mail if she saw a role for a federal Labor government partly funding a new hospital, Senator O'Neill said: "We always see that there's an important role for proper integration of federal and state.

"Detailed business cases have been missing so much of the time from this government.

"You have to deal with the facts, is the population growing here, is there a need and is that a good use of Australian taxpayer dollars to support the community?"

Member for Farrer and former federal Health Minister Sussan Ley said she would use Freedom of Information to seek a hospital master plan from Victoria to help shape the Coalition federal government's approach to the matter.

Mr Cameron said, if elected, a federal Labor government should sit down with NSW and Victoria to "critically examine" the cross border service model.

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"Is it working, is it delivering the best practice?" he said.

"On its face I think it's very easy to make an argument that it's failing because let's face it's failing."

Mr Cameron said the NSW Liberal government had promised a new Albury hospital would be a "seven storey facility in 1993 and then delivered a one-storey facility in '95".

He accused Ms Ley of actively picking fights with the Victorian Labor government on health.

"The current display from Ms Ley and her pot shots at the Victorian government are unhelpful and unnecessary," he said.

Senator O'Neill queried why Ms Ley had not advanced the case of a new Albury-Wodonga hospital while Health Minister.

"If she couldn't deliver anything as the Health Minister and she still isn't providing anything in the lead-up to this election, how can local people take her seriously at all with regard to the hospital?" Senator O'Neill said.

Mr Cameron said since his candidacy emerged last week, poor aged care in Albury, Deniliquin and Leeton had been raised with him.

"There's now ample archaeological evidence that Neanderthals cared for their aged and how have we progressed if we don't care for our aged?" he said.

"Labor is committed to making sure that there is a nurse always on duty at each aged care facility, that's not something you'll hear from the Liberal Party.

"They're primarily concerned about their rich donors who own a lot of these organisations."

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