Doctors have backed Helen Dalton’s push for separation, and now it’s the residents’ turn. Photo: Helen Dalton MP/Facebook.
Independent Member for Murray Helen Dalton is calling on everyone in her electorate to make a submission to an inquiry on her proposal to split up the Wagga-based Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) before 19 December.
“You don’t have to be a doctor or an expert,” Mrs Dalton said.
“Anyone can put in a submission, and I believe that the Committee needs to hear from regular people in order to understand how important this is to all of us.”
Currently, MLHD makes decisions on staffing, services, and resourcing for all facilities in the Riverina.
The proposed split would see the region’s Western towns, such as Griffith, Leeton, Hay and Deniliquin, governed by a new local health district, the Western Riverina Local Health District (WRLHD).
Mrs Dalton’s push to split the MLHD has received backing from doctors and specialists, and the NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Community Services is now accepting submissions from residents who live in the towns that the WRLHD would govern.
The new Western Riverina Local Health District would govern towns west of the Riverina region. Photo: Helen Dalton MP/Facebook.
Mrs Dalton says the MLHD fails to provide adequate care to the people of the Murray because it is run from so far away.
For example, the new Griffith Base Hospital does not have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Griffith residents suffering from a stroke need to be transported to a hospital with an MRI machine, such as Wagga Base Hospital, which is two hours away.
Region has reported on various issues that have plagued the local health district over the past five years, including the high executive staff turnover rate in the Griffith Hospital and controversies around maternity wards at Cootamundra Hospital.
MLHD has previously responded to Mrs Dalton’s calls to split MLHD, stating it was committed to providing efficient and timely care to its patients.
“MLHD is committed to providing timely, efficient and appropriate care to patients in every part of the district,” a spokesperson said.
“Health care services in MLHD are highly networked and have been developed to ensure patients across the district receive appropriate care depending on their clinical needs.
“Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is the only rural referral-level facility in MLHD, and it serves as a vital hub for specialist healthcare services to every part of the district.
“Splitting MLHD would have a detrimental impact on existing healthcare pathways and would see more patients needing to travel further from their homes to access appropriate care.
“Current arrangements allow staffing and community-based services to be networked and shared across the district. Removing those arrangements would require existing services to be replicated, adding significant costs, and would only add to the current staffing shortages experienced in healthcare services nationwide.
“MLHD’s senior leadership team and several board members are based throughout the Murrumbidgee region, representing regional and rural patients and ensuring their unique healthcare needs are considered at an executive level.
“MLHD continues to deliver high-quality healthcare and support to all our patients, no matter where they live or what level of care they require.”
Wagga MP and surgeon Joe McGirr has also indicated his opposition to splitting up MLHD.
Submissions to support Mrs Dalton’s Health Services Amendment (Splitting of the Murrumbidgee Local Health District) Bill 2025 can be made by clicking on Submissions. The Committee will accept submissions until 19 December 2025.
