Better Border Health Survey Response
Completed Monday 15 September 2025
1. BBH and BMA are advocating for a new hospital on a new site, in either Albury or Wodonga. Do you support this call? Please provide the reason for your response.
When I was Wodonga’s Mayor, I made advocating for a new, single-site hospital a priority of Wodonga Council. Unlike others, I’ve always sought to bring people together and focus on solutions. In 2024, I brought our region’s councils together for a solutions-focused and partnership-building health summit – the first of its kind.
I understand the medical services and infrastructure required to service our 300,000 strong regional population. Importantly, I’m the only candidate this election who thoroughly understands the processes of development and of government we need to work with to achieve the health services and infrastructure our community needs and deserves.
My approach has always been solutions-focused and partnership-building. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for activist members of BBH that have undone much of the positive work I began as Wodonga’s Mayor.
Some members of BBH think if they stamp their feet and get themselves kicked out of Parliament, that will help. Some members of BBH are aggressive, combative, and negative, and do not engage with authorities in constructive dialogue in pursuit of solutions. This approach is not working, and government has stopped engaging with BBH. BBH is nothing more than a political campaign unit to get ‘their people’ elected.
2. On the 28th October 2024, 206 doctors wrote to the PM, and NSW and Victorian State Premiers calling for – A halt to the current redevelopment plans. Immediate capacity relief through construction of modular wards and operating theatres. We need relief urgently. A return to the original Clinical Services Plan (2021) points of care projections and a commitment to fund the 15+ year infrastructure requirements spelt out for a new single-site hospital on a new site. Do you support this call? Please provide the reason for your response.
We need short-term and long-term health solutions to address the needs of our growing regional centre. We need to boost bed numbers, machines, and theatres now, while maintaining a future focus on planning and building a new single-site hospital that will serve us for generations to come.
Unfortunately, dialogue between BBH and government authorities has broken down, so government is not listening to the immediate concerns of our health service.
I’ll be a solutions focused and constructive representative, re-engaging the relationships and strong bonds I built as Wodonga’s Mayor to regain trust with all levels of government.
When we are constructive and solutions focused, we can achieve more than what’s right in front of us. When I was Wodonga’s Mayor, I was on the way to negotiating a new, unique, three-way health governance and funding model that would lock-in more funding from both state and federal governments.
I was in talks to build a combined medical university and defence medical school to train doctors locally and make the most of Bandiana’s defence investment, a project we need to leverage.
This is the type of work I want to continue to secure our cross-border health service for generations.
3. Albury Wodonga Health is a unique, cross border health service. There is currently an inter-governmental agreement between NSW and Victorian Governments (2022-2035). Do you support an ongoing cross-border agreement for delivery of health services in Albury Wodonga? Please provide the reason for your response.
Evidence suggests the current governance model is failing. Tensions between the two state governments is unhelpful for a smooth operational environment and security of funding.
This is why, when I was Wodonga’s Mayor, I was taking a positive and creative approach to seek a new, unique, three-way health governance and funding model that would lock-in more funding from both state and federal governments.
This approach would be adapted from the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation in structure, creating a charter to achieve the short, medium, and longer term strategic planning to keep service and infrastructure levels up to date, in perpetuity.
As Wodonga’s Mayor, I worked in partnership with the Albury City Mayor, at the time, to engage the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Office with the aim of negotiating a better governance outcome. We were making positive steps, and I had hoped to continue that work post the 2024 council elections.
Unfortunately, after the 2024 Albury and Wodonga council elections, and the subsequent change in councillors and mayors, this positive and constructive engagement seems to have been lost.
New councillors elected, who BBH supported, have not taken on the partnership-building and constructive approach I had. They just seem to political point score.
4. In a recent media interview, you mentioned that we had to “make the best of the current development” . Can you please expand on what you meant by this?
If you read my full comment, you would know it was unambiguous in supporting a new, fit-for-purpose, green-field hospital. This is what our community needs and deserves, and this is what I have been working constructively and proactively towards for many years, especially when I was Wodonga’s Mayor.
Unfortunately, dialogue between BBH and government authorities has broken down, so government is not listening to the immediate concerns of our health service, like boosting bed numbers, machines, and theatres now, while maintaining a future focus on planning and building a new single-site hospital that will serve us for generations.