The Victorian government has rebuked organisers of an upcoming regional health forum for not choosing a "suitable date" for it to attend the meeting.
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A spokesman from the Office of the Premier also said the government had already conducted "extensive consultation across the local community" about healthcare issues, a remark that has angered a health advocacy group.
"If the Wodonga Council was interested in having a serious discussion about healthcare in the region, they would have worked on a date that was also suitable to representatives of the Victorian government and the Department of Health," the spokesman said.
"As part the $558 million Albury-Wodonga hospital redevelopment, an extensive consultation process has been undertaken across the local community, which the Wodonga City Council has various opportunities to partake in."
Wodonga Mayor Ron Mildren, who this week pleaded for the Victorian government to send a representative to the summit, said the date had been carefully chosen to take into account availability at all levels of government.
"Wodonga Council commenced arrangements for the Albury-Wodonga region health summit in November 2023," Cr Mildren said.
"The date (March 1) outside of parliamentary sittings was chosen on advice as generally no committee meetings are held.
"While council acknowledges that ministers and parliamentary members have commitments outside of sitting days, opportunities were provided within the invitations for various representation to attend the summit if the minister has other commitments."
Cr Mildren said parliamentary secretaries will represent the Commonwealth and NSW governments at the summit which was announced last October.
"At this point, Victoria only has representation by the shadow minister for health," Cr Mildren said.
"Council considers it important that Victoria has senior representation at the summit."
"The Minister for Health is unable to attend due to prior commitments," another government spokesman said on February 12.
The Victorian government's claim that it had engaged in extensive community consultations drew a rebuke from Better Border Health.
Better Border Health spokeswoman Michelle Cowan said she understood that the date of the health summit may not have suited Victoria's Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas.
"Hopefully, the Victorian government will acknowledge this event's importance to Albury-Wodonga communities and revisit the decision to send a representative," Ms Cowan said.
"But it is not correct for the Victorian government spokesperson to assert that the consultation has been extensive - the two sessions of community consultation to date have been abysmal.
"The complete lack of publicly available details and the process of engagement with the community is an ongoing, major red flag.
"The consultation, to date, has been a very cynical, poorly executed white wash and it speaks volumes to our concerns that we are not going to get the new, single-site hospital our growing region desperately needs."
Ms Cowan said the lack of consultation around the $558 million investment of public funds is a significant reason for the community calling on Wodonga Council to advocate and to host the March 1 summit.
