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Lake Cargelligo Family Practice is now a more appealing location to work for young doctors after the town became a targeted recruitment location under a Morrison-Joyce Government pilot scheme that provides wage support and supports doctors to gain their GP qualification while living in a rural or remote area.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said the addition of Lake Cargelligo to the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) Extended Targeted Recruitment Pilot location list meant doctors interested in rural and remote general practice would receive income support while working at the local clinic and training towards their formal GP qualification.

Mr Coulton said the pilot scheme will provide a total of $465,000 in income support over the course of each doctor’s training to make Lake Cargelligo a more appealing place for young doctors to begin their career.

“The aim of this wage funding and support scheme is to encourage more young doctors to take up rural and remote GP work, and ensure they have adequate support, distance mentoring and education to get their medical college fellowship,” Mr Coulton said.

“This is a win-win for patients in Lake Cargelligo and for the Lake Cargelligo Family Practice.”

Regional Health Minister and former regional GP, Dr David Gillespie said it was important that junior doctors were adequately supported to work rurally and without this scheme, even more young doctors would be holed up in cities undertaking this significant part of their training.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the RVTS is going from strength to strength in providing better access to doctors in the bush.

“To date, it has provided training to more than 400 doctors to over 300 rural and remote communities. Overall, 90 per cent of participants who have completed the program have attained GP fellowship qualifications,” Minister Hunt said.

“The RVTS has also supported doctors working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with more than 50 doctors enrolled in Aboriginal medical services since 2014. These doctors are providing primary care services in more than 40 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across the country.

“The past success of the program is why the Morrison-Joyce Government is investing an additional $20.9 million to extend a GP training program that is providing more doctors to rural and remote areas in Australia.

“This additional funding will enable the scheme to be extended for a further three years, enabling doctors to gain their specialist qualification in general practice – while living and working in a rural or remote area.”

The additional funding builds on $5 million previously provided by the Morrison-Joyce Government for a RVTS extended targeted recruitment pilot, which is providing income support for 10 doctors starting their training in 2021 and 2022.

Dr Gillespie said the scheme focuses on remote GP training in small and isolated communities to help improve the recruitment pipeline for a high quality traditional primary care workforce.

He said the RVTS is a key initiative in bridging the city-country divide in providing health services, by addressing GP workforce shortages in areas of need of more GPs.

“There can be issues in rural areas in having sufficient patient throughput under a fee-for-service model – typical of general practice – to generate enough income to operate a viable practice while undertaking GP training,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Data shows a decline in the attractiveness of rural GP work for new medical graduates. The extended pilot supports the Morrison-Joyce Government’s coordinated efforts to explore innovative employment models to attract more GP trainees to rural and remote areas.”

The pilot builds on the policy commitments of the Stronger Rural Health Strategy and will inform longer term reform options including development of the Government’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan.

An Albanese Labor government will make Australia’s Newborn Screening Programs world class, saving lives, delivering better care and making the system fairer.
 
Newborn screening is crucial to identify and treat rare diseases allowing conditions to be diagnosed – with something as simple as a heel prick at birth, our kids can get the care they need from the earliest stages of life. 
 
Australia’s screening program hasn’t been updated since the 1980s and, in most States and Territories, only tests for 25 conditions compared to world’s best practice of screening for 80 conditions. 
 
This can lead to delays in diagnosis of life-long health conditions and avoidable deaths. 
 
Parents can be confident that no matter which hospital their child is born in their baby will be fully screened for rare conditions.
 
Different States and Territories also screen for different conditions, leading to inequality in health care across Australia. 
 
Labor will put an end to this testing lottery by introducing a universal screening program.
 
Labor will invest $38.4 million to deliver a world’s best practice screening program for all of Australia, increasing the number of conditions screened to 80. 
 
Our approach is in line with world’s best practice.
 
An Albanese Labor Government will work with the States and Territories to deliver a better national newborn screening program, including a regular process to update screened conditions on expert advice.
 
Only Labor can be trusted to strengthen Medicare and improve health care for Australians.

Many Australians still struggle to get where they need to go, and a new multi-state study highlights the opportunities to get transport access right for our communities. Can technology help?

Access to transport is a basic human need that fundamentally impacts everyone’s wellbeing. Community transport is a critical element of our wider transport network that ensures suitable transport options exist for everybody, especially those with specific or more complex needs.

A new study reveals how emerging technologies can improve community transport by increasing access for clients, allowing better allocation of resources by providers, and increasing client choice with improved customer experience.

The study offers a foundational understanding of community transport operations across Australia, their critical role, and the challenges they and their customers face. It has clarified hesitations around technology, highlighting the advantages and the importance of reciprocal partnerships for technology adoptions.

The study was led by ITS Australia, the peak body in Australia for advanced transport technology, with the University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Public Policy and Governance leading the research effort. It includes input from departments of transport TfNSW, DOT VIC, DOT WA and TMR, and is supported by iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre, the national centre for transport and mobility R&D.

The findings provide the clearest picture yet of the Australian community transport landscape and where there are opportunities to deliver services that meet everyone’s needs at both a system and service level.

This new research highlights how needs are still not being met in many places. It explores the options for improving the situation by having the right discussions and action, including integration and innovation in the community transport sector.

Investment in community transport reduces transport disadvantage, defined as ‘the inability to travel when and where one needs to without difficulty’. This seemingly simple objective is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, especially for older people, those with a disability and people in rural and regional areas. Our ageing population (estimated to double by 2057) is just one reason why the number of people at risk of transport disadvantage will grow significantly over time.

The wider transport sector is currently undergoing a sustained period of change arising from technology, digitalisation, automation and access to data. New capability is creating ways of planning and delivering services that have the potential to meet everyone’s needs, including our most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. There needs to be consensus and action to ensure that we minimise transport disadvantage and maximise opportunities for our communities.

Lee-Ann Breger, Programs Director, iMOVE said: “The ability to get around is key to any individual’s wellbeing as it enables them to access health services, to work and participate in leisure activities. In Australia, we have an increasingly ageing population, where 5% of the population has a severe disability of some kind, many of whom need support to get from A to B. We need to make sure that our CT networks deliver this.”

Susan Harris, Chief Executive Officer, ITS Australia said:

“This work offers excellent insights into how technology can support community transport and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. As we advance this pathway, technology providers must be sensitive to the nuances of community transport, and partnerships are vital to getting this right. ITS Australia will continue working in this space to realise some of the benefits through a collaborative approach.”

Peter Lee, Senior Manager, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney said:

“In taking a strategic look at community transport and its context, our research really shines a light on a poorly understood area of transport to evidence the complexities experienced by service providers and their customers. In drawing attention to existing and emerging challenges and opportunities for community transport, we hope the research can act as a catalyst for action in policy, engagement, innovation and partnerships.”

The full report can be downloaded here: https://imoveaustralia.com/project/project-outcomes/community-transport-of-the-future

Upcoming webinar on this research on the 6th April, 2022: https://imoveaustralia.com/news-articles/intelligent-transport-systems/upcoming-webinar-community-transport-future/

Key points from the research

· Community Transport is more about the ‘Community’ than just transport – it provides the glue connecting users to vital services and social networks

· Community Transport (CT) users are a growing and complex stakeholder group with challenging needs and expectations – by 2057 it’s projected that Australians over 65 will make up 22% of the population.

· In 2020, the Commissioner for Senior Victorians published a report which found that 92% of seniors rated personal mobility as critical to health, social well-being and independence

· This is a complex and challenging ecosystem and technology has the potential to improve CT by increasing access for clients, better allocation of resources by providers, and increased client choice with improved customer experience.

· CT providers see many opportunities to work with transport technology providers, to partner on solutions that work for their customers and to utilise technology platforms that have the potential to scale to a wider user base.

· Opportunities exist for reciprocal partnering (with the risks shared by technology platform/provider and CT operators) to build adaptive fit-for-purpose products that work for CT clients and operators.

· CT’s complex funding structures play a significant role in how services are delivered.

The Australian Government will prohibit the export of luxury goods to Russia, including wine, high value cosmetics and parts for luxury vehicles.

These sanctions target President Putin and his wealthy enablers, not ordinary Russian consumers. They are being undertaken in coordination with key partners to restrict the Russian elite’s access to such goods. The European Union and the United States already have bans in effect. Japan’s ban will enter into force today, and the United Kingdom’s ban is due to follow soon.

The Australian Government is deeply committed to imposing the highest costs on Russia for President Putin’s illegal and unprovoked war.

This ban follows our targeted financial sanctions on President Putin, members of his Government, Russian oligarchs, propagandists and disinformation operatives, as well as senior Russian military leaders. It also follows our ban on the export of alumina and bauxite to Russia.

The Australian Government reiterates our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the people of Ukraine.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP, says Labor’s appeasement to right-wing flat tax reforms and keeping tax breaks for trusts and property investors is a death knell for Australian egalitarianism. 

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP said:

“Liberal and Labor are now in lockstep on tax cuts for the rich, sounding the death knell for social democracy. Liberal and Labor are marching Australia towards US-style inequality. 

“With Labor now joining the Liberals in delivering tax breaks to the wealthiest, there will be less in the kitty for public schools and hospitals. 

“Labor has sided with Scott Morrison in a conservative assault on Australian egalitarianism,  keeping tax rorts that drive up house prices and funding more coal and gas. 

“With Labor now joining the Liberals in a trickle-down nightmare, the only way to save Australia’s progressive tax system is to vote Greens. 

“Heading to an election, I never thought I’d see a Labor joining with the Libs on a platform of flat tax, cash for billionaires to mine more coal and gas and tax breaks for investors to drive up housing prices.”