Health Minister under fire over Armidale Hospital funding bid

The state government should fully fund the $50 million redevelopment of Armidale Hospital if allegations of deliberate sabotage of a bid for Commonwealth funding by Health Minister Jillian Skinner are proved correct, Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay has claimed.
He said he has sought an urgent meeting with Premier Barry O’Farrell following revelations from Member for New England Tony Windsor that the Minister may have misled Parliament on the issue.
In response to a question from Mr Torbay on September 15 last year the Health Minister told the House the Commonwealth Health and Hospitals Funds Advisory Board had not issued an invitation to resubmit the Armidale Hospital bid for the $475 million round of regional funding which closed on October 19.
“Mr Windsor says his enquiries show that it was not the Commonwealth but the state government that blocked the application,” Mr Torbay said.
“I know that Hunter New England Health had the redevelopment of Armidale Hospital as a top priority and I understood that a submission would be prepared for the latest Regional Priority Round.
“If that bid was blocked at state level we should know the full details. It is a serious offence.
“Should the allegations prove to have substance the state would, in my opinion, be obliged to compensate the Armidale and district community and find the $50 million for the upgrade from its own coffers.”
Mr Torbay secured an agreement from the previous government to put up $10 million as leverage for the Commonwealth to provide the remaining $40 million for the Armidale Hospital redevelopment.
The first submission to the Health and Hospitals Fund $1.8 billion first round was unsuccessful but it was understood that Hunter New England Health would prepare a second more comprehensive submission for the next round to be announced in May.
“It is now up to the Minister to prove the claim she made in state parliament that the Commonwealth failed to invite the Armidale Hospital the opportunity to re-submit,” he said.
“That’s the crux of the issue and we need it cleared up immediately.”