For years, Daylesford residents have campaigned for a modern hospital to replace the town’s ageing health facility. Despite extensive community advocacy, fundraising efforts and a detailed feasibility study outlining the need for redevelopment, local campaigners say their hopes of securing government funding have all but stalled.
The issue has again come into focus following an ABC report highlighting the stark contrast in hospital funding outcomes between neighbouring electorates in central Victoria.
In 2021, the Victorian Government committed $115 million to redevelop Maryborough Hospital, located in the electorate of Ripon. At the time, Ripon was a highly marginal seat that Labor was seeking to retain.
Just over the electorate boundary, Daylesford Hospital received $6.14 million for an upgrade of its operating theatre. While welcomed by health providers, the funding fell well short of the estimated $75 million required to rebuild the hospital and address broader infrastructure challenges.
For many Daylesford residents, the disparity has reinforced a long-held belief that communities in politically safe seats struggle to attract major investment.
The Daylesford Hospital Upgrade Community Campaign spent years advocating for a redevelopment project. Community members not only lobbied politicians and health authorities but also helped raise over $100K to support the development of a community master plan that examined options for a modern replacement hospital.
Campaigners argued that the study provided a clear blueprint for future investment and demonstrated strong local support for the project.
Kathleen Murray, a member of the campaign committee, told the ABC that many residents felt the Macedon electorate had been “taken for granted” because it had been a safe Labor seat for more than two decades.
“The seat is taken for granted,” she said. “We feel that somehow our rural postcode is not as important as a metropolitan or a big regional city postcode.”
The concerns extend beyond infrastructure. Daylesford residents have long pointed out that the nearest major hospital is in Ballarat, approximately 40 minutes away by road, creating challenges for older residents and those requiring urgent care.
The prospect of travelling to Ballarat for treatment is also a source of concern for many local residents. Ballarat Base Hospital has faced significant pressure in recent years, with emergency department performance data and subsequent media reports highlighting some of the longest waiting times among major regional hospitals in Victoria. Reports in 2025 found the hospital was continuing to struggle to meet emergency care targets despite broader statewide improvements. Campaigners argue these pressures reinforce the need for a modern Daylesford Hospital capable of delivering a broader range of services locally, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the district for care.
Murray told the ABC she and her partner were even considering relocating to Ballarat to ensure better access to health services, despite their strong connection to the Daylesford community.
Central Highlands Rural Health chief executive Maree Cuddihy has acknowledged that while the operating theatre upgrade was important, it did not address the broader challenges associated with maintaining and operating an ageing hospital building.
The redevelopment campaign received a significant boost during the 2022 Victorian election when the Coalition pledged $75 million towards a new Daylesford Hospital if elected. However, Labor’s election victory meant the commitment was never realised.
The Victorian Government has consistently rejected suggestions that political considerations influence funding decisions. Responding to the ABC report, a government spokesperson said claims regarding Daylesford and other regional hospitals were incorrect.
“Projects are funded and delivered, based on community and population needs, not politics,” the spokesperson said.
Political analysts acknowledge that perceptions of inequity can emerge when funding decisions coincide with electoral contests.
Australian National University political marketing lecturer Andrew Hughes told the ABC that concerns about safe seats receiving less attention have been a recurring feature of Australian politics.
“It always has and always will be a problem in Australian politics,” Hughes said.
He argued that governments naturally focus resources where electoral outcomes are uncertain, creating a perception among voters that infrastructure investment is used as both reward and incentive.
At the same time, Hughes noted there are examples of substantial government investment in areas not held by the governing party, suggesting funding decisions cannot be explained solely through electoral politics.
For Daylesford residents, however, the debate remains deeply personal.
After years of campaigning, fundraising and community engagement, many believe they have done everything possible to demonstrate both need and local commitment. The feasibility study, supported through community fundraising, laid out a pathway for redevelopment. Yet a full government commitment remains elusive.
As Victoria approaches another state election cycle, the question facing Daylesford is whether renewed advocacy can revive the project or whether the community’s long campaign for a modern hospital will remain unfinished.
For residents who continue to rely on a hospital building dating back more than a century and a half, the answer carries consequences far beyond politics.
