Future unclear for promised Torquay hospital

THE Torquay Community Hospital is two years overdue but appears to have no chance of being delivered in next week’s Victorian budget, with the state government refusing to say whether the project will ever be built.

The Liberals have stopped short of making the hospital an election commitment, with Polwarth MP Richard Riordan instead

reviewing unused state-owned land across his electorate, including the Torquay site.

A Labor election promise in 2018, the hospital had its first sod turned at the 110 South Beach Road site in November 2022, ahead of an expected opening in 2024.

The small public hospital was to be operated by Barwon Health and provide a range of integrated community health and specialist services, including urgent care for minor injuries and illnesses, day surgery, paediatric services and mental health services.

But the project’s future became uncertain in Labor’s 2024-25 budget.The budget papers stated “further service planning” would be carried out in Torquay to determine the most appropriate care model, noting recent investments in Primary Priority Care Centres and expanded capacity at nearby health services.

No progress or announcements about the hospital have been made since.

Signs stating “Your Torquay Community Hospital is coming soon” remain at the 110 Beach Road site, which is otherwise empty.

A Victorian Health Building Authority web address on the signs that once directed users to project information now redirects to a general community hospitals program page, with no mention of Torquay.

Torquay’s health services have improved since 2022. A federally funded Urgent Care Clinic opened at 85 Surf Coast Highway in December last year, offering bulk-billed, walk-in treatment for non-life-threatening conditions.

 

The facility allows patients to attend without an appointment and receive fully bulk-billed care.

A Victorian government spokesperson did not directly respond to questions about whether the hospital would be funded in the 2026–27 budget, when it might be built, or the future of the South Beach Road site.

“We’re ensuring all Victorians can access everyday health services when they need it, no matter where they live,” the spokesperson said.

“With the expansion to primary care, including Urgent Care Clinics, and investments to increase capacity at Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital, we’re looking at how we best deliver more services that the local community needs.”

Riordan said he could not make an election commitment about building the Torquay Community Hospital as its allocated funds “have been spent and done away with”.

“I’m currently doing an audit across the electorate on vacant parcels of land the state has acquired in recent years and seem to be sitting fallow and this would be one of them,” he said.

“I can only assume other arrangements have been put in place with Barwon Health.

“It would be flying blind to say that [an election commitment] without having had any representations from any of the health providers that this is a current priority.

“For me, the priority will be to ascertain the need and desire of the current healthcare providers that this is going to be an asset that works.”

A Barwon Health spokesperson referred questions to the Department of Health.