‘Straight out of Utopia’: healthcare workers denounce $558m expansion of Albury base hospital

An impression of the $558m redevelopment at Albury hospital. Healthcare workers have criticised the plan to redevelop the existing hospital rather than build a new combined health campus that consolidates facilities across two cities. Photograph: NSW government

A $558m redevelopment of Albury Base hospital jointly proposed by the New South Wales and Victorian state governments has outraged healthcare workers and community groups, who claim both governments misled them during a years-long consultation.

“If I was going to design a system to hide the dismal plans they’ve provided us, I’d design it exactly the way they’ve done it,” says Michelle Cowan from local community group Better Border Health. “These are the oldest tricks in the book. It’s the most cynical exercise so they can say they’ve ticked the consultation box.”