OUR SAY: Dan's largesse elsewhere is at our public health expense, once again

The most recent Census results had the Gippsland town of Wonthaggi with a population of just under 8500.

That makes it three times smaller than the Rural City of Wangaratta.

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Labor has already spent $115 million on the Wonthaggi Hospital project, with the latest sum to be made available should the Andrews government be returned at the election.

"No Victorian wants to visit their local hospital," was Mr Andrews' opening rhetoric on announcing his generosity to Wonthaggi, a small community living, conveniently, in the marginal seat of Bass.

"But they want to know if they need healthcare, it has state-of-the-art facilities - and the best nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and doctors on hand to deliver the highest quality care."

That's fair comment, Mr Andrews; actually, it's quite easy political comment, Mr Premier.

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For the fact is all communities deserve such care and such health resources given the enormous sums the government continues to reap from stamp duty because of a property price explosion.

But it appears that Benambra is no longer in the same state.

It appears, too, that the public health service that Labor is supposed to give equal weight per head as any other is not on the same Andrews health care list.

Albury Wodonga Health is in a state of absolute neglect, all because of the Victorian government.

It doesn't matter what skulduggery it comes up with to try to justify this unacceptable pork barreling of one community at the expense of another, it is utterly shameful.

The Liberal opposition has already promised $300 million for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital if elected.

But aside from the usual, predictable carping from the other side, Labor has said nothing.

It has not promised to fix the dire situation for which it must take all the blame, it has not said "yes, we will match that $300 million promise" because a wider community of anywhere up to 300,000 people do not have an adequately funded public health service.

It has done absolutely nothing.

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