All media enquiries:
Leanne Coleman, Manager, Programs and Events
0407 991 854 / conference@ruralhealth.org.au
Rural and remote health advocates from all corners of Australia will be gathering in Canberra from 10 – 12 September for the annual get-together of Council members of the National Rural Health Alliance – Australia’s peak non-government organisation for rural and remote health.
The event, known as CouncilFest, provides the opportunity for representatives of the 36 member organisations of... read more
Research plays a leading role in improving the health of people in rural and remote Australia and the call for abstracts is now open for presentations to the 6th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium, to be held in Canberra, 11-12 April 2018.
Expressions of interest are now being sought from researchers whose work can contribute... read more
A new chapter for Friends of the Alliance begins this month with the appointment for two years of its next Advisory Committee.
Continuity is assured with one of those elected being Immediate Past Chair, Robyn Williams; and with Rachel Yates also winning another term. Robyn served for two years as Chair of Friends of the Alliance and is... read more
The National Rural Health Alliance warmly welcomes the passage of the legislation to establish the role of the National Rural Health Commissioner.
“The Alliance sees the National Rural Health Commissioner as a potential game changer, bringing a welcome focus on rural health,” says David Butt, Chief Executive Officer.
“The Alliance supports the initial focus of the role on... read more
The new edition of the Health Atlas, released today by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, is sobering reading. If you live outside Australia’s major cities, there is a significant gradient of increasing hospitalisations – in some cases in excess of 15 times the rate in major cities.
“Seven million people live outside the major cities of Australia and we know... read more
A long-term investment plan is needed to overcome the ongoing shortfall in access to mental health services in rural and remote Australia, David Butt, CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance, said today.
People living in remote and very remote communities in Australia access only a small portion of the mental health services available to their city cousins according to a new report... read more
The divide between the health of people in rural and remote Australians and that of people in metropolitan areas is likely to widen if the faults identified in the roll-out of the National Broadband Network are not fixed.
“The NBN was initially meant to give all Australians access to high-speed broadband,” David Butt, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Health Alliance, said... read more
Access to high-speed broadband is vital for users and businesses based outside Australia’s major cities. With more and more business being done on the Net and Governments developing web based portals to access vital services such as aged care and disability care and reducing access to face to face services, reliance on high-speed broadband is essential.
A report in today’s The... read more
Tonight’s Budget includes welcome investment in regional infrastructure which will boost economic growth and job opportunities for rural Australia, but lacks a longer term investment plan to bridge the divide in health outcomes between the city and the bush.
“We welcome initiatives in this budget which will ease the financial pressure on people in rural Australia, such as the staged... read more
After four action-packed days, the 14th National Rural Health Conference with its theme of 'A World of Rural Health', has concluded with the delivery of the priority recommendations to emerge from the event to Assistant Minister for Health, David Gillespie.
Also part of the conclusion proceedings, Chief Advocate for World Vision Australia, Rev. Tim Costello addressed delegates on... read more