Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Nicholls for his question. I recognise that he is a strong and fierce advocate for his community. I would imagine last week he would've been incredibly proud of his community, as what could've been quite a disastrous outbreak of COVID-19 in the Shepparton area saw a remarkable community effort, not only from the health authorities—the doctors, the nurses—but from the entire community. They managed what could've been a serious outbreak to a very, very low level of infection.

Like Shepparton, regional Australia has done very, very well during this pandemic. Regional communities have managed to handle the small number of infections that we've had. The rest of Australia has recognised that regional Australia is now the place to be. As we've seen in previous generations people are looking to the regions now to invest, to move, to look for jobs—the thousands of jobs that are available there right across the full spectrum, from the professions right through.

In the budget the government recognised that if we are going to have a growing and prosperous region we need to have a health profession that is capable of looking after this expected growth. That's why we've put extra funds in the budget to be prepared for further outbreaks of COVID, for telehealth funding, the respiratory clinics and more capacity for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. But we've also put funding into things that will stimulate professionals looking to study and practice medicine in the regions. We've put $125 million into rural clinical trials so that not only will the people in regional Australia get the benefit of those life-saving trials, but professionals who want to undertake that research can do that in a regional area. There is $50 million for extending rural training. That builds on what we've done in previous budgets with the Murray-Darling Medical Schools—training local people in local regions. Indeed, the member for Nicholls will have a facility in Shepparton as part of the Murray-Darling Medical Schools. We all know that people who train in and come from the regions are more likely to settle and work in the regions.

In the budget, we also funded five trials looking at a multidisciplinary approach in New South Wales to delivering health care to smaller more isolated communities. The Rural Health Commissioner, Professor Stewart, will be looking at how they go—trials that were built from the community. Knowing that the government does not know best—communities know best—supporting those communities and what works will be spread out and looked at across other areas of the country. (Time expired)

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