Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Tubbagah People of the Wiradjuri Nation, and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.
It’s a pleasure to join my co-host, Brad Hazzard, to present our second Bilateral Regional Health Forum.
Everyone here today, in the room or online, believes in regional Australia. Our perspectives may differ, but our love for the land and the communities it supports, is the same.
We know how much regional Australia contributes to our economy, and that’s likely to become even more important as the pandemic loosens its grip here.
But more than that, the bush is at the heart of our culture, and part of our national spirit.
Nurturing both the land and its people is essential to the creation of a truly inclusive, equitable and prosperous Australia.
And many of our people have been through tough times lately. In New South Wales, the past year has thrown us a terrible trio of drought, fire and the pandemic.
I welcome the forum’s discussions on how these events have affected mental health in regional, rural and remote NSW, and how we can grow resilience in regional communities into the future.
The back drop for our discussions will be the Australian Government’s unprecedented investment in mental health this year. In the aftermath of the fires, we provided more than $89 million in mental health support to affected people and communities.
And as the pandemic crashed on us and disrupted our lives, we massively expanded access to mental health services, not only face to face but through telehealth, online and helplines.
In fact in 2020-21 we will spend a record $5.7 billion on mental health and suicide prevention services[1].
The forum will also look at ways to increase the health workforce in regional areas.
As Regional Health Minister, it’s very clear to me that in order to stimulate more growth and prosperity in our regions, we need to attract people to live, work and raise families in the bush.
And that won’t happen unless they have the same quality health care, and other services, as other Australians-which is not true at present.
The Australian Government has worked long and hard in this area, with some success. But we recognise that this remains a big challenge.
We are always open to new ideas, and we’re very pleased to work with the NSW Government on this and other issues.
The forum will discuss some successful and innovative proposals.
The Australian Government is providing $3.3 million over the next two years for five trials in multiple sites across regional New South Wales, each offering a new approach to filling workforce shortages in primary care, across a number of health disciplines.
One of the sites is close to here-knowns as the 4Ts trial as it involves four towns that are geographically and socially close: Tottenham, Trangie, Trundle and Tullamore.
The trial will test the use of a shared workforce across the towns, supplemented by telehealth.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the pandemic, it’s that modern information technology can do a lot to bridge what was dubbed “the tyranny of distance” by historian Geoffrey Blainey back in the 1960s.
The NSW Government is also supporting the trial, through the Western NSW Local Health District. I look forward to hearing the details later today.
Another concept is explored in the Innovative Employment Model trial in the Murrumbidgee Region.
This trial will see the Murrumbidgee Local Health District employ rural generalist trainees, for the duration of their training.
This will make it attractive for doctors to take on rural generalist training, and ensure they are available to local patients.
I would also like to mention some of the Government’s other recent initiatives specifically for rural and regional health.
The Australian Government, together with state and territory governments, has signed the Addendum to the National Health Reform Agreement for the years 2020-21 to 2024 25.
This includes an Australian Government contribution, estimated at $6 billion over five years from 2020-21, to the states and territories to support services provided by small, rural and regional hospitals.
This is very good news for rural communities. It ensures that they will continue to have access to vital public hospital services.
And in New South Wales, our contribution to these small hospitals will amount to $2.5 billion.
We have also of course made the National Rural Health Commissioner a permanent office.
I’m delighted that Professor Ruth Stewart accepted this position. She has certainly hit the ground running, advancing the National Rural Generalist Pathway as well as helping with the response to the pandemic in rural and regional areas.
These measures demonstrate this Government’s true commitment to the bush, the country’s backbone, and its people.
There is much to be discussed today to make sure we have the best programs and policies to keep them healthy.
I look forward to a very informative and constructive day, and thank each of you for your participation.
