The Alliance was mentioned in Parliament House’s Question Time on 22 August 2024 where the Member for Mayo SA Rebekha Sharkie posed a question to Minister Mark Butler about the Alliance’s data on the rural healthcare spending deficit of $848 per person per year. The Minister answered the question by updating the House about the latest healthcare reforms. Question Time was aired across the ABC TV network.
Minister Butler responded that a review is being undertaken about the distribution rules to ensure that all areas have access to doctors and other health professionals.
“That has been a review in which the National Rural Health Alliance and a range of other rural health groups—ACRRM, the rural doctors’ college, and many others besides—have participated in very fully,” Minister Butler said.
“From our first budget in October 2022, we increased the incentives that are available for doctors to go and practice in rural and regional Australia. We lifted those incentives in dollar terms, and we expanded them in terms of the skills that doctors might be able to take to rural and regional Australia with a particular emphasis on ensuring that skills around emergency medicine, obstetrics and mental health,” he added.