The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) seeks $313,500 (GST inclusive) to undertake the Defining Optimal Levels of Access to Primary Health Care in Rural and Remote Australia project. The project aims to define evidence‑based, context‑appropriate levels of access to primary health care in rural and remote areas that are realistic yet equitable – recognising local factors such as geography, demographics, service availability, workforce, and infrastructure.
Defining the optimal levels would address the long‑standing absence of national benchmarks and help governments allocate resources more equitably.
Some of the key benefits expected from the project include:
- Improved health equity and outcomes through better alignment of healthcare with community need.
- More efficient, transparent funding models, especially in thin or failed markets.
- System‑level insights that will shape long‑term rural health reform, workforce planning, and infrastructure investments.
- Stronger local service models through place‑based planning, integrated care, multidisciplinary teams, and digital support where appropriate.
People living in rural areas have poorer access to healthcare, travel longer distances, face higher out‑of‑pocket costs, experience workforce shortages, and have worse health outcomes than metropolitan residents.
Despite high national expenditure, rural areas miss out on an estimated $8.35 billion annually, with per‑capita health spending far lower in remote regions, as reported by the The Forgotten Health Spend: A Report on the Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia commissioned by the Alliance.