Victorian opposition blocked from hospital visits before election
Liberal opposition MPs had meetings at three Victorian hospitals cancelled in September, with the government citing caretaker period protocols.
Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier and MP Richard Riordan said hospital visits at Colac Area Health, Ballarat Base and Warrnambool Base were cancelled or denied. Richard Riordan and Georgie Crozier were told the night before they were due to visit.
The government confirmed it refused the meetings but said the opposition had failed to follow caretaker protocols introduced in 2022. Richard Riordan said the Colac meeting was planned months earlier and the government asked what their announcement would contain beforehand.
The Liberals planned a $15 million redevelopment for Colac's urgent care if elected. A former hospital chief said the government didn't want opposition discovering how bad conditions really are.
- $15 million
- Proposed Colac redevelopment
- September 17, 2026
- Date of cancelled Colac visit
- 3
- Hospitals with cancelled visits
Why it mattersOpposition can't meet hospital leaders or understand system problems during an election campaign.
AustraliaVictorians heading to the November election have limited access to opposition scrutiny of hospital conditions.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 4 d ago
