Better Border Health - Albury Wodonga and region

16/11/2025

The following is a response by an anonymous Border clinician to an opinion piece by an anonymous Albury Wodonga Health staff member published on the Border Mail website on 6 November, titled “Simply not the case’: Border surgeon has left, crucial services haven’t.

Letter to the editor, The Border Mail, 15 November 2025

'Let's call it for what it is': return serve on hospital claims

‘It would be easy to be offended by the misleading commentary piece, but it is so comical that it barely requires a response.

Any line could be refuted. Here are just a few:

In the BMA clinician survey, more than 80 per cent of clinicians report witnessing colleagues being discouraged or silenced when raising concerns about the hospital redevelopment process.

The process lacks transparency and denies meaningful clinician consultation. Nor does it keep patient experience at its core.

The overwhelming vote of no confidence in chief executive Bill Appleby and board chair Jonathan Green was in response to widespread concerns about leadership, executive culture, and a lack of psychological safety for frontline staff – not about any particular contractual decision, nor the redevelopment.

Clinicians have, and always will, play an active role in campaigning loudly for our community – look at the cancer centre as a case in point.

Making fictitious claims on the costing of a greenfield hospital does not counter the overwhelming evidence of the failings of the redevelopment.

If you want to criticise people for creating a hostile environment, recognise that people become frustrated when they are continually gaslighted … the writer’s comments sadly only add fuel to the fire.

Let’s just call it for what it is – a desperate and farcical attempt to change the narrative.

The community has seen enough to understand the truth of what is going on.

The desperation is building because the game of whack-a-mole does not work when it is no longer a few individuals you need to stare down.’

Got something to say about this issue? You can submit your letter to the editor via email to letters@bordermail.com.au

15/11/2025

Gaslighting on…
AGMs
Staff culture
Sackings
Cancer centre transfers
Carparking
Waiting lists
Ambulance ramping
Hospital bed availabilities
Future facilities

If they’re communicating, they’re gaslighting!

15/11/2025

It’s great seeing our first responders recognised and celebrated at a state level.

Congratulations and thank you Lisa & Marita for all you do.

Congratulations to Corryong locals Lisa Pilli and Marita Harrison, who were celebrated at our recent Hume Staff Recognition Awards. 👏 👏

Advanced life support (ALS) paramedic Marita was presented with her 20-year service medal, while ambulance community officer (ACO) Lisa took home the title of Outstanding First Responder – Community Excellence.

Marita started her AV career as an ACO at the Corryong branch, and after being offered an AV supported scholarship, became a fully qualified paramedic based at Wodonga.

However, it wasn’t long before she returned to her hometown of Corryong, where she remains to this day, driven by her goal of providing exceptional patient care to her local area.

Lisa has been a first responder at AV for the past 13 years and has gained a reputation for being a driving force for community health education.

Recently, she also led Corryong through the lifesaving Heart Safe Communities Program, which teaches locals how to do CPR and use an AED to help someone in cardiac arrest before paramedics arrive.

Both Lisa and Marita demonstrate the significant impact our people have on our regional communities and the heart it takes to do this job every single day.

https://bit.ly/4oGjxVo

15/11/2025

Thanks to the 74 people who signed our petition today calling for a new greenfield site public hospital for Albury-Wodonga and the surrounding region.

Doctors, nurses and other health professionals are exhausted and struggling to provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within hospital facilities that do not meet clinical need and are no longer fit for purpose.

Our community needs the Federal, Victorian and NSW Governments to come together and take joint responsibility for the planning, design and construction of a new single-site regional public hospital in Albury Wodonga.

You can sign our petition here:
https://kricgpm9.forms.app/build-a-new-greenfield-hospitalaw

Wanting to connect with other community members united around the fight for a new single-site hospital?

Come along to the Big Greenfield Picnic on Sunday 30 November from 12 midday to 3.30 pm at Hovell Tree Park, Albury. Bring a picnic and chair and join us for live music, information, mingling and fun.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DREEMn8j6wI/?igsh=aGs0MWUydDV5cHYw

15/11/2025

See below reply from Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) to one of our members who queried their AGM being held exclusively online, and whether questions would be allowed.

The AWH inference that holding an AGM exclusively online is “common practice” is false.

Here are the facts…

Of the 59 organisations listed by the Victorian Department of Health as rural hospitals and health services, our research has found 2025 AGM details for 37 of them.

Thirty are having in-person AGMs; one (Swan Hill) will have its AGM live linked across three sites; four are having combined in-person and online meetings.

Only two organisations are holding their AGMs exclusively online - Albury Wodonga Health and Great Ocean Road Health, but Great Ocean Road Health at least has a mechanism to submit questions before the meeting.

15/11/2025

14/11/2025

Join us at Hovell Tree Park for The Big Greenfield Picnic on Sunday 30th of November at 12pm - 3.30pm.

🎶 Live Music
👒 Big Hat Competition
🎨 Face Painting & Games
🍓 BYO Picnic & Chairs

This is a chance to bring our community together in the spirit of solidarity, celebration and renewal.

With music, games and good company in the Park we will end the year on a high note, ready to carry our momentum into the new year.

Let’s remind ourselves of the strength we hold when we stand united.

14/11/2025

We call for an AHPRA-style regulator to hold healthcare leaders accountable and close the healthcare governance gap.

14/11/2025

And only today has Justin Clancy got engaged in the cultural issues at AWH.
He has completely ignored the last 4 surveys that overwhelmingly showed the lack of trust, respect and belief in the senior leadership.

13/11/2025

Media Release from the Health and Community Services Union.

Damning statistics show the bleak state of affairs at Albury Wodonga Health

The mental health workforce at Albury-Wodonga Health (AWH) are at breaking point with HACSU demanding immediate intervention from the Victorian and New South Wales governments to address the escalating crisis, where chronic underfunding, unsafe workloads and cultural dysfunction are negatively impacting workers and consumers.

Shocking workforce data has revealed that 49% of HACSU members working in the public mental health system across Wodonga, Wangaratta, Beechworth, Benalla and Albury have personally experienced bullying and harassment, with a further 40% saying they witness it happening to other colleagues. Staggeringly, 76% say the source of the bullying and harassment is the AWH Executive and/or Senior Leadership.

Of great concern is that 73% of mental health members say that they feel unsafe raising concerns about inappropriate behaviour or workload with management due to fear and 61% strongly disagree that AWH care about their psychological safety obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Members have reported that the cultural issues plaguing the service are amplified by the extreme over-reliance on locum registered nurses and allied health staff, and some psychiatrists working remotely resulting in it being difficult for them to have a handle on consumers and participate actively in clinical governance.

HACSU holds serious concerns regarding psychiatrists working remotely and their capacity to safely conduct assessment orders within the required 24-hour timeframe, the broader use of restrictive intervention authorities, and their ability to adequately support multi-disciplinary teams on wards and in the community. Remote psychiatric practice raises significant questions about the quality, timeliness, and safety of care, particularly in acute and crisis situations where in-person assessment is critical.

These issues are long-standing and stem from a failure of non-mental-health senior leadership to understand and support specialist mental health practice. Such failures are out of step with what is required under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act and the recommendations of the Royal Commission.

The crisis comes amid ongoing leadership turmoil and delays to the long-promised hospital redevelopment, leaving staff demoralized and the community without confidence in their local health service. Despite years of warnings from workers, clinicians, and unions, state and federal governments have failed to deliver a plan to stabilize the workforce, fix the culture, and fund the service properly.

"Our members are telling us they're drowning", said Assistant Branch Secretary Rebecca Sprekos. "They're working double shifts, managing impossible patient loads in a climate of over-reliance on locums, some psychiatrists working remotely - even overseas in a a toxic workplace culture, while trying to wrangle a broken and underfunded service".

This is not simply a matter of resources. It is the result of systemic and repeated failures by Albury Wodonga Health to value their mental health workforce. The system is not safe for consumers or for the clinicians working within it, and urgent intervention is required to restore a dedicated, specialist mental health service that puts safety and care first

12/11/2025

Letters to the editor, The Border Mail, 10 November 2025

Hypocrisy over stance on AGM

‘Mr Clancy, our local MP, recently posted about the Albury Wodonga Health annual general meeting being held online.

I acknowledge that Mr Clancy criticised this decision – rightly so – but then, bizarrely, tried to justify it by implying without a shred of evidence that community activists have been “aggressive”.

In doing so, Mr Clancy chose to slander his own community. That was out of order.

When challenged to provide evidence for this imputation, he could not. Instead, he called for “dialogue”. Well, Justin, we’ve been engaging in dialogue for years.

The irony is that Mr Clancy then proceeded to block and delete comments from the very community he claims should be engaging in that dialogue from his post.

We’ve seen this playbook before – from appointed leaders and officials who talk about “respectful discourse” yet shut down diverse views the moment they’re uncomfortable.

You cannot sanctimoniously call for open dialogue while silencing the people you represent. I call hypocrisy, Mr Clancy. I, for one, will be glad to see accountability returned at the ballot box in 2027.’

Richard Hendrie, Lavington

AWH needs a new board

‘I’ve just read that Albury Wodonga Health is going to have its annual general meeting online.

Does it have any idea how that will appear to the general public, especially after the controversy with the cancer centre and Dr Stuchbery? It’s time for the board to be replaced with people who have a duty of care and act responsibly towards staff and the public.’

Derek Robinson, Wodonga

Best deal for region the priority

‘I would like to reply to some of the points raised by an anonymous person on November 6 about Albury Wodonga Health.Will surgical services continue with the sacking of Dr Stuchberry? Probably.

Will his sacking leave a significant gap in our regions ability to deliver the best healthcare possible? Definitely.

Should clinicians be involved in the employment of other clinicians? Yes. Clinicians should be employed to provide high-quality clinical care, and this should be assessed by people who can judge that care.

Should clinicians pressure leadership? Yes. Clinicians want the best care for their patients and should be able to advocate for that care. Do clinicians only want a $2 billion greenfield site? No. Clinicians want the best facility for the care of their community. The current plan will not achieve this.

It is up to the administration of the hospital to get the correct decision for us all. If they cant, then the people will lose confidence in the administrations ability to lead health care for its community.’

Eric Moyle, Albury

Join those above in writing a letter to the Border Mail. Email letters@bordermail.com.au

11/11/2025

Dr Eric Moyle has dedicated decades to caring for our community through his work as an intensive care doctor at Albury Wodonga Health (AWH). In 2021, he was named Albury’s Citizen of the Year, a reflection of his commitment and compassion.

When he sees a need, he acts, from helping design ventilators during the pandemic so AWH could treat more patients to regularly making personal donations of much needed equipment to the hospital including two life-saving ROTEM machines - so patients at both campuses could receive the same high level of care to list but a couple.

A true community champion who does not seek notoriety for his contribution.

So when Dr Moyle speaks up, we should listen.


This is his letter to the editor published in yesterday’s Border Mail (10 November). 👇👏

Best deal for the region the priority

‘I would like to reply to some of the points raised by anonymous person on November 6 about Albury Wodonga Health.

Will surgical services continue with the sacking of Dr Stuchberry? Probably

Will his sacking leave a significant gap in our region’s ability to deliver the best health care possible? Definitely

Should clinicians be involved in the employment of other clinicians? Yes. Clinicians should be employed to provide high-quality clinical care, and this should be assessed by people who can judge that care.

Should clinicians pressure leadership? Yes. Clinicians want the best care for their patients and should be able to advocate for that care.

Do clinicians only want a $2 billion greenfield site? No. Clinicians want the best facility for the care of their community. The current plan will not achieve this.

It is up to the administration of the hospital to get the correct decisions for all of us. If they can’t, then the people will lose confidence in the administration’s ability to lead health care for its community.’

Eric Moyle, Albury