FARRER MP Sussan Ley supports dismantling Albury Wodonga Health, saying that the cross border service is "not working".
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The past federal health minister was speaking after fellow Liberal colleague, Albury MP Justin Clancy asked this week "should NSW take over the operations of Albury Wodonga Health? Does NSW need to go its own way?".
Ms Ley acknowledged any decision to end the cross border health administrative pact would be a matter for Victoria and NSW
"But my personal view is that this is not working and when you've got one of the parties to that agreement not actually wanting to run the hospital, clearly because they haven't provided any details of what the next steps should be, when we all know there's more work to be done, and when they haven't provided any money in their budget, absolutely the best possible result needs to be a new hospital and it needs to be supported by everybody on the border and we need to work together and we're not getting that from Victoria," Ms Ley said.
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Asked if NSW going solo would see a lesser new hospital than a joint approach, Ms Ley pointed to existing cross border health deals.
"We have hospitals on both sides of the border up and down the Murray River in my electorate and cross border arrangements work perfectly well," she said.
"One state pays the other state to treat its patients and that's not an extraordinary situation, that's what used to happen here."
Ms Ley flagged Albury hospital in Murrumbidgee Local Health District hands.
Labor candidate in Farrer Darren Cameron said ending Albury Wodonga Health should be "on the agenda".
"We've had this cross border arrangement for some time, we're where we're at now which is not satisfactory, we're in crisis, we naturally have to consider all options," he said.
"I'm not necessarily opposed to it, but it needs to be thoroughly discussed."
Mr Cameron said he was disappointed by criticism from the Border Medical Association about federal Labor's plan for an urgent care clinic at Albury hospital.
"Justin Clancy the state member, whose government is responsible for providing a new hospital, is the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and I don't see any hard questions being asked of him," Mr Cameron said.
"However, we persevere, I don't wish to be adversarial on this issue I want to work together I want to solve it and we'll only do that by co-operating."
Ms Ley said a new hospital, not an "add-on clinic", was needed.
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