State Budget 2025-26 sees $1m for Albany Health Campus plans, $12.4m for new rehab and Albany airport upgrades

A $60 million promise to double the beds at the Great Southern’s biggest hospital has been pushed further down the pipeline, as Thursday’s State Budget revealed only $1m allocated over the next four years to plan its expansion. The delay for the Albany Health Campus’ expansion was eased by the delivery of other much-needed projects, including building the long-awaited residential rehabilitation facility, upgrading Albany Regional Airport runways, North Albany Senior High School and the Albany Racing Club. Amid the election campaign whirlwind in February, Premier Roger Cook announced the overcrowded hospital would have a modular ward — an ancillary building constructed to provide extra beds without requiring complete facility renovation — constructed to increase the hospital’s capacity. It earmarked the addition of 20 medical inpatient beds, 16 mental health inpatient beds, and beds in the emergency department and the short-stay and intensive care and high dependency units. Former Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the ward would be operational by 2027. But Albany MLA Scott Leary cast doubt on the State Government’s timeline for the hospital expansion and said the budget did not contain everything he hoped for. “There are a few missing items,” he said. “Also, they committed to the hospital expansion for 2027 and only being allocated a planning budget means I can’t see them achieving that timeline. “However, Minister Whitby is very approachable, and I am sure it will appear in the budget next year, but I shall be holding him to account.” A $320m business case to expand the hospital over a six-year time frame was put forward in 2021, with the WA Country Health Service acknowledging the facility had an “inability to meet the patient care demand” in 2022. Despite the delay, Albany mayor Greg Stocks said he was “pleased” with the budget and was glad to see progress being made on the hospital’s upgrades. So who are the Budget winners in the Great Southern this time around? Here’s the Advertiser’s five-minute-guide to what was in it for our region. HEALTH Those requiring time in a rehab will no longer have to make a 600km roundtrip to Nannup with $12.4m dedicated to building a 20-bed adult residential rehabilitation and withdrawal centre in the Great Southern. The decision to fund the unit comes after more than a decade of community advocacy, as the region is the only one in WA without a dedicated facility. A 14 cent increase to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme fuel subsidy means people travelling to Perth for medical treatment can now claim 40 cents/km, up from 26c. TRANSPORT Albany Regional Airport’s aging infrastructure has clocked $11.5m in funding, with the money dedicated to improving the runway, apron and taxiway, expansion of the passenger terminal and carpark. The fresh runway will allow the airport to receive bigger planes and prepare for the region’s budding future as a tourism hotspot. A 12km section of South Coast Highway between Cheynes Road and Kojaneerup will be reconstructed, widened and fitted with audible edging thanks to a $25m allocation — but it is, notably, half of the original $50m promise made in January ahead of the election. New signalised pedestrian crossings will be added on North Road near Beaufort Road to make crossing safer for students of John Calvin School. HOUSING Albany’s northern suburbs will be “unlocked” following a $825,000 planning program for 2500 homes in McKail North. The Regional Housing Support Fund will be provided with $25m over four years to support new housing and land supply across regional WA. What percentage of that will land in the Great Southern is yet to be announced. INDUSTRY A $10.8m business case to upgrade the Port of Albany’s Berth 1 and 2 is aimed at helping increase the region’s grain export capacity and the docking of cruise ships. The local Aboriginal Ranger Program will also benefit from a Statewide $20m expansion, and the wine industry partnership will be doubled through a $6m contribution aimed at boosting the volume of exports, particularly into the East Coast market. EDUCATION North Albany Senior High School will be expanded and gain a general learning block paid for out of a $22m promise, while the Spencer Park Education Support Centre has been granted $12m for redevelopment. Albany Senior High School is to receive $3.4m extra and Denmark Primary School $400,000 for an upgraded carpark. SAFETY The Safe at Home Program, an initiative that supports victim-survivors to stay safely in their own homes after a perpetrator has been removed, will be expanded to Albany via a $1.6m allocation. And planning for six additional family and domestic refuge units at the Albany Women’s Care Centre will be funded by a $1.4m business case. SPORTS AND RECREATION Denmark’s William Bay National Park is set for $3.5m of upgrades including realignment of the Munda Biddi Trail and improving pedestrian access to tourist icons Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks. The newly opened Albany Regional Tennis Centre will receive $1.5m for four new courts and lighting and planning for an all-abilities fishing jetty at Emu Point will be funded with $200,000. Motorsport enthusiasts will be thrilled after $400,000 was allocated to upgrading the safety wall and catch fence at Albany Speedway and $100,000 for medical facilities at Albany City Kart Club. Racing clubs will also share in a hefty cache of funds through the Regional Racing Fund with $3.84m for the Albany Racing Club, $853,000 for Albany Harness Racing Club, $200,000 for Mt Barker Turf Club and $77,000 for Pingrup Race Club.