Do we really have a say?

Good governance means clear and accountable decision-making, transparency, genuine community engagement, appropriate risk management and ensuring decisions are made in the interests of the community council represents.

Against the background of the current controversy surrounding the termination of the Ochre Health lease at the Deniliquin Medical Centre, these principles matter.

Council has repeatedly spoken about looking to the future and developing long-term, sustainable, quality healthcare for our community.

So, let’s look forward.

On May 23, 2025, Edward River Council adopted its position statement regarding a new Deniliquin Hospital.

I support the concept of a hospital facility capable of delivering the services identified in the 2022 Clinical Services Plan, and meeting Deniliquin’s healthcare needs into the future.

But the key question remains: What hospital model and location will most effectively, sustainably and realistically deliver those services?

Council’s position statement stated that a new hospital would help deliver better health outcomes, attract and retain skilled professionals, and support Deniliquin’s role as a regional hub for rural medical training.

Council also said it was committed to working with Murrumbidgee Local Health District, community members and neighbouring councils, would continue to keep the community informed, and thanked those who had been involved to that point.

So, from a governance and transparency perspective, who exactly was involved?

Before council adopted the position statement on May 23, 2025, who was consulted? Community members; local doctors, medical practices and other health professionals; our local health committees; and Murrumbidgee Local Health District?

What evidence and workforce planning sat behind the claims about better health outcomes, workforce attraction and retention, and Deniliquin becoming a regional medical-training hub?

And now, more than 15 months later, who has been consulted since?

I know from my own involvement as (the previous) chair of the Local Health Advisory Committee, during earlier community consultation, when people spoke about wanting a new hospital, what they were really asking for was more services locally, better access to specialists and less need to travel for healthcare.

So, another important question is does broad community support for better hospital infrastructure necessarily mean community support for every proposition contained in council’s May 23, 2025 position statement?

Good governance requires more than adopting a position and informing the community afterwards.

It requires asking:

Who was consulted?

What evidence was considered?

What risks were examined?

What did our health professionals say?

And how did those views influence the position council ultimately adopted?

I would ordinarily prefer to discuss questions like these directly with council.

Following the public information session on July 13, Albert and I requested a meeting with council on July 14 to clarify several statements and discuss why doctors can find it difficult to assimilate into a rural community and stay long term.

On July 15, the response included: “At this point in time I personally do not believe there is any value to add by us catching up”.

If a GP who has lived and worked in Deniliquin for 25 years, having arrived here as a foreign-trained immigrant doctor, and who is also a local resident and ratepayer, cannot add value to a discussion about attracting and retaining doctors in our community, who can?

I recently opened council’s ‘Have Your Say Edward River’ website - https://www.haveyoursay.edwardriver.nsw.gov.au/register - and looked for health or community wellbeing among the available topics.

Neither was there.

I selected ‘other’, expecting to be able to enter health.

There was no opportunity to do so.

Perhaps consultation has occurred and I have simply missed it.

If so, I genuinely ask council to tell us.

Because governance ultimately comes back to representation, transparency and meaningful community participation.

And when it comes to something as important as the future of healthcare in Deniliquin, I am left with one very simple question: Do we genuinely have a say?

Yours etc.

Lourene Liebenberg

Deniliquin