Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to report to the House on the ongoing work of the National Rural Health Alliance. Yesterday they were in the building with 32 national organisations represented through the peak body and were advocating strongly for better health outcomes in rural and remote Australia. Yesterday they launched the Centre of Research Excellence in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care with a range of universities involved, really trying to lift the robustness and timeliness of data collection so we can get better policy outcomes through research and development through our leading institutions working with rural and remote communities. As well, we are not far away from the official launch of regional health Australia.

An opposition member: Rural health Australia!

Or rural health Australia. The issue that has been burning rural and regional communities for some time is the inequity in the delivery of resource distribution formulas, both at a state and a national level. The principle of equity needs to be upheld. National Rural Health Alliance identifies between $1 and $2 billion a year, not making it through to its proper source, even based on the states' own funding formulas. So regional health Australia will crack heads and work on making sure the principle of equity is met. These are two significant outcomes in the last 12 months and the start of a significant change in health care in Australia. (Time expired)