Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement on Wednesday, September 28 follows a two decades-long campaign to upgrade the 46-year-old building that has 36 residents and was assessed as “end of life” by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2009 and “no longer fit for purpose” by Nathalia Cobram Numurkah Health board chair Trish Quibell.
A re-energised community campaign has this year been pushing for the government to contribute to the cost of a redevelopment, which has been estimated to be around $20 million. The Premier’s office said the government has committed up to $35 million more than that amount because a whole new building will be constructed adjacent to the Karinya Nursing Home and hospital acute ward. A corridor will connect it with Karinya.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr Andrews and Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers Colin Brooks said the Numurkah rebuild would be part a $170 million policy to redevelop three public aged care homes in regional Victoria, including at Cohuna, north-west of Echuca, and Maffra in Gippsland.
The Premier said the upgrades would deliver modern facilities that were dementia-friendly and could support residents with complex care needs.
“Victorians in aged care deserve to spend their golden years close to family and friends, in the communities they know and love, receiving the very best of care,” Mr Andrews said.
“Labor is doing what matters — ensuring our parents and grandparents continue to receive the care and dignity they deserve in their later years.”
Mr Brooks said the funding reflected the government’s commitment to aged care.
“The last time Matthew Guy’s Liberals were in government, they shut and privatised nursing homes, cut millions from the aged care budget and slashed the number of beds available to older Victorians,” he said.
“Labor undid the Liberals’ damage by introducing nurse-to-resident ratios and investing more than $600 million in new and improved aged care facilities because only Labor can be trusted to do what matters.”
Earlier this year, both Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell and independent Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed backed the campaign by raising the matter in Parliament.
The Opposition criticised the Premier for making the Numurkah announcement from Melbourne.
Ms Lovell said the Premier should have visited the region to make the announcement.
“The fact the Premier announces a regional health policy via a press conference in Melbourne’s east proves he doesn’t care about regional Victorians,” she said.
“I am perplexed at how Daniel Andrews arrived at a figure of $55 million for a project that has been advocated for locally at $23 million.”
Shadow Minister for Government Scrutiny Louise Staley echoed Ms Lovell’s statement.
“We will govern for all Victorians and all of Victoria,” she said.
“Daniel Andrews has no plan to fix regional healthcare, his only plan is to evade scrutiny from those in the country that he has left behind.”
The government said, if re-elected, the works would be expected to begin by 2025, with the first residents to be moving into their new accommodation by late 2027.
