Thursday, 20 June 2024

Northern Victoria Region

Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (12:44): (952) My constituency question today is for the Minister for Health. The Mansfield hospital has been servicing the Mansfield community since 1871. It is also the main triage point for the thriving tourist attraction of Mount Buller. Approximately 20,000 people a day pass through Mansfield in the wintertime. My constituents have reached out to me to express their concerns about reports that the minister is planning to merge their hospital with Goulburn Valley Health. Mansfield hospital is the cornerstone of the community. Locals are scared that their services will be cut and they will be forced to travel over an hour and a half to Shepparton to receive treatment. The secrecy that shrouds this plan to merge is a growing trend for the Allan Labor government. My constituents in Mansfield want clarity around the government’s plans regarding their hospital. Will the minister release the details of the planned merger of the Mansfield hospital and GV Health and how it will affect the hospital’s daily operations?