Swan Hill Hospital overlooked in state budget

SWAN Hill is sick of playing politics over the health of the region’s people after further re-development of the Swan Hill hospital was snubbed in this week’s State Budget.

The rural city missed out on its big ticket item in the Victorian Government’s 2022-23 budget, handed down by Treasurer Tim Pallas on Tuesday.

Other than the usual yearly grants programs that Swan Hill Council could apply for, some of which have been cut back or wound back as COVID becomes a normal part of regional life, the area was largely left out of the budget.

The growing Swan Hill Specialist School did score a win, with $6.35 million to deliver upgrades to its main classroom hub.

Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp said you couldn’t get a “first-rate education in a second-rate classroom”.

“Swan Hill Specialist School plays such an integral role providing special education to the local community – it’s only a Labor Government will support them to continue their life-changing work,” he said.

Mr Gepp said the budget invested in regional health “because regional Victorians deserve the same level of care as people in Melbourne”.

“At the centre of the plan is a $300 million injection to upgrade regional hospitals and healthcare facilities in every corner of our state, the largest Regional Health and Infrastructure Fund boost since it was created by the Labor Government,” he said.

Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said stage two of the hospital redevelopment must be funded, with stage one to begin with the demolition of the nurses’ accommodation in coming months.

“We need to make sure the work is funded before stage one is finished so it can be continuous, while the cranes are there, while the teams are there doing the work,” Mr Walsh said.

“I didn’t expect that to be in this year’s budget, that is something I want in 2023/24 budget, at the latest, to make sure there is the continuation of that work.”

Mr Walsh was critical of cuts to regional development and agriculture.

“Most importantly for me, as a regional Member, is we are also seeing the true colours of this Labor Government for anyone living outside Melbourne,” he said.

“The regional development and agriculture budgets will suffer more heavy cuts in 2022-23 – $87.1 million gone from regional development and $47.8 million from agriculture.

“Very concerning tat also the trade engagement budget has almost been halved, and when we are looking at farmers needing new markets to diversify away from China, that shouldn’t have been cut, in fact more funds into it to find new markets.”

Mr Walsh also slammed the government for its failure to fix the Murray Basin Rail Project, “meaning another lost year of gains for primary producers and transporters in north-west Victoria”.

“Cruel cuts to road asset maintenance will expose Victorian drivers to 12 more months of dangerously crumbling, unsafe roads.”

Swan Hill Council Mayor Jade Benham conceded Swan Hill didn’t “get much out of it”, pointing to “reasons for that”.

“It’s a State Budget in an election year,” she told The Guardian.