Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

Australians who live and work in remote areas of the country have less access to the health services which most Australians take for granted. In our most remote and isolated areas of the country, the first professional you're likely to see is a remote area nurse who, in an emergency, will provide treatment or stabilisation before further help can be sought.

As the minister responsible for rural health I'm absolutely committed to increasing access to health services for all Australians, no matter the location. And through the funding commitment of the coalition government, CRANAplus will be able to continue to support health professionals, such as our remote area nurses, to ensure they're available where and when people in remote parts of the country need them most.

We need to have an innovative approach to health delivery in the most isolated parts of the country, and the transformational Stronger Rural Health Strategy, the most significant health workforce reform in three decades, will also support the delivery of a more multidisciplinary, team based model of primary health care across rural and regional Australia.