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$65m Cancer Centre for Albury
03-May-2011
Sussan Ley - on an announcement made by Regional Australia Minister last night http://www.minister.regional.gov.au/sc/releases/2011/may/sc048_2011.aspx
"Like many, I welcome the news from Minister Crean overnight on funding for a new regional Cancer Centre based in Albury.
It comes after a lengthy and passionate campaign by a large number of people from the border,
together with a number of local representations to the Health Minister and her departmental staff in Canberra.
While not wanting to detract from Mr Crean’s somewhat opportunistic leak on Q&A,
it comes despite the Government telling us it was not in the business of ruling anything in or out prior to next week’s Federal Budget.
This announcement indicates Labor has shot its bolt on the border.
We should expect next to nothing else specific in next week’s Federal Budget
and certainly nothing in relation to halting the mounting shortage of GP’s both here and in rural areas of Farrer.
The Minister also challenged the regions to ‘develop agendas that really fit with the narrative’.
Deciphering this meaningless pollie speak, Mr Crean is really telling us we must fight –
and fight – and keep fighting, just to win a share of our own tax dollars to build and maintain much needed health facilities.
The Minister also indicated today there will be no increase in recurrent funding for
Albury-Wodonga Health to administer the new Cancer Centre. This, for a cross border administration so evidently under-funded, is worrying news indeed.
Clearly it will mean we must start a new fight with the Gillard Government; one just to obtain the most basic essential health services areas like ours have a right to receive.”