Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

The Raise our Voice in Parliament campaign was open to all young people in Australia. I received a letter from Oscar, from Bega, who wished to raise this issue in parliament:

My name is Oscar (14), and I am a high school student from Bega, which is located in the Eden-Monaro Electorate. Today I am asking our new parliament to accomplish the critical task of improving rural healthcare.

People living in rural and remote areas are not getting the adequate health care they deserve. Arguably, the biggest contributing factor to this is a lack of staffing. The Bega District news reported in 2021 that there were 200 unfilled nursing shifts over a four week period. This puts patients, doctors, and nurses at risk. Improving staffing in rural healthcare is important as it will improve health outcomes.

Living in a rural area is truly a blessing, so I believe that our parliament could introduce strong incentives, such as monetary and educational benefits, to boost the amount of doctors and nurses providing health care in rural areas. The Bega Valley is a beautiful location, but health care professionals should receive adequate support so they can work here long term.

Needless to say, our new parliament must accomplish the task of improving rural health. Health care is a human right, no matter whether someone lives. This has been an issue for a long time, and I ask that our new parliament act.

Oscar, we are doing just that. There were over 70 budget measures in the regional budget statement.

Just quickly, I'll give a shout-out to the Robo Rebels, the Narooma High School robotics team. They were 2022 Duel Down Under winners at Macquarie University, quarter finalists in the March 2022 FRC Southern Cross Regional in Wollongong and winners of the breakthrough award at the Wollongong Regional FLL competition in November 2021. Well done to the students of the robotics club at Narooma High School.

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